A Change of Fate
by fandomismylife
Summary: What if Clementine had a different guardian before Lee came into the picture? How would this new character affect the story as a whole? Would different people die? Would they live? All of the answers to these questions and more are waiting for you in this story, the story of how Dallas changes the world of The Walking Dead by just existing (I don't own TWDG, only my OC).
1. Chapter 1 - My Girlfriend,The Babysitter

**Hello fellow fanfickers.**

**As a couple of you may know, I started writing a different fanficiton to this one not all that long ago, but decided to scrap it, because I was losing interest in what I was writing, to be perfectly honest.**

**Now here I am, ready to bring a something a little different, giving you a new character, someone to shake up the story a little. **

**I really hope that you guys will enjoy what is to come, I have many great plans for this story, so I hope that you guys will follow along. :) **

**It would also be super duper if you guys could review this story, so that I can improve this story for your entertainment.**

**The first couple of chapters are quite short, really only being there to introduce the new character, Dallas, into the world, but I promise, that the later chapters will be a bit longer, allowing more of the story to be fit in. **

**Without further ado, here is the story. :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Walking Dead, all I own is my wonderful OC**

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"Come on Sandra, the movie's is about to start," Dallas called, stuffing popcorn into his mouth. He heard a small chuckle beside him, and turned to see the little girl he was babysitting, laughing at his display. "What's so funny?" he asked, choking down some more popcorn.

"You eat just like my dad does," she laughed, giving a him cute smile which Dallas returned, a few stray pieces of food escaping from his mouth as he did so, making the girl laugh even more. Dallas placed the bowl on the table and looked behind the couch, trying to see where his girlfriend was.

"What's taking her so long? I'll go get her, you wait here," Dallas said, standing up from the couch and walking up to the hall, intent on finding Sandra. On his way down the hall, Dallas walked past a mirror, and noticed a stray bit of hair that was sticking out of his dark brown locks. He looked closer into the mirror, trying to fix it, while letting the light reflect off of his bright blue eyes. Once he was satisfied that his hair was back in place, he did a quick muscle flex, and showing off his lightly toned arms. Chuckling at himself, he continued down the hall, turning a corner into the lit up bathroom, to see Sandra, holding a slightly bloodied arm.

"Hey Dallas, what's up?" she asked quickly, covering up the arm.

"What was that?" he retorted, reaching to lift up her sleeve.

"It's nothing, don't worry. Let's just go watch the movie," she reassured him, leading him out of the bathroom and back down the hall. They were soon back at the couch, being greeted by the girl's smiling face. The two sat down beside her, Dallas putting his arm around Sandra as the movie began on the TV screen. Dallas and Sandra were staying over for the week, to take care of the little girl, Clementine, while her parents were away on holiday. Normally, Sandra would come by herself to watch Clementine, as Clementine's parent's number one choice to watch her whenever they went away. On the odd occasion however, Sandra brought along her Dallas, just for extra company, or if she had school work to do. Dallas had begun to grow quite close to the young girl over the many times he had visited, seeing her as somewhat of a little sister. She must've thought the same as well, since she was always happy to make fun of him whenever she got the chance. So it was no surprise that Dallas had said yes when Sandra had asked him if he wanted to help babysit for the week. Now here they were sitting together and watching a movie before Clementine went to bed. It wasn't long before the movie was finished, and Dallas was ushering Clementine to her bedroom to go to sleep, while Sandra got ready for bed herself. As Dallas stepped into Clementine's room, he could hear Sandra begin coughing in the other room, each cough sounding as wheezy as the next.

"Is Sandra okay?" Clementine asked, as Dallas tucked her into bed, handing her a stuffed toy to cuddle.

"I think she's just feeling a little sick, don't worry," he reassured her with a small smile. Sandra began coughing again outside, sounding worse than her last fit.

"You're sure?" Dallas looked back at the young girl, giving her another sad smile, patting her on the head, and leaving the room, turning on her night light.

"Good night Clem." Dallas went down to the guest room that he and Sandra were sharing, to see her sitting on the bed, coughing into a piece of cloth. She looked up at him, her eyes bloodshot and watering.

"Dallas-" she began to say, before she fell off of the bed, collapsing on the floor. He ran over to her, lifting her up onto the bed, laying her down on her back.

"Sandra?! Are you okay?" he almost yelled, shaking her by the shoulders. Her eyes slowly flickered open, bloodshot and staring back at him. A small smile touched her lips.

"I'm fine, don't worry. I'm just feeling a little light-headed," she told him. He helped her move up the bed a little, getting her to rest her back up against the wall. He picked up the cloth she was coughing into previously, turning it over to see a blood stain.

"You're not okay. Your eyes look like death and you're coughing up blood for fuck's sake. I'm going to call an ambulance," Dallas told her, getting up to go grab his phone, before Sandra grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.

"I'm fine, really Dallas. It is just one of those things; it'll pass overnight, trust me." She looked him right in the eyes, willing him to trust her. After a couple of minutes of just staring into each other's eyes, Dallas reluctantly relented, pulling up the covers and helping Sandra into bed, slipping in beside her.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Dallas questioned, his eyes beginning to become heavy. Sandra began coughing again, blood going into her overly bloodied cloth.

"I'm sure," she answered, rolling over and going to sleep. Dallas stared at her back, watching her chest move up and down with her breathing, as his eyes slowly became too heavy to keep open, and he went to sleep, worry still present at the front of his mind.

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**Pretty good start to the story I would think.**

**Giving you guys a little bit of an insight of what could've happened to Clementine's babysitter, Sandra, and how she ended up attacking Lee.**

**Anyway, as I said in the opening, please review my story, so that I can make it better for you guys. ^_^**

**Thanks heaps everyone! :D**


	2. Chapter 2 - Wake Up Call

**Hey fellow fanfickers,**

**It's only been the first chapter, and I already have a follow and a favourite :D That's good right? **

**Anyway, here we are in the next part of this sort of prequel part of the story, things escalate a bit in this chapter, and it won't be long until it merges with the game ^_^**

**I hope you guys liked chapter one, and are ready for more to come! (Look at my rhyme, aw yeah)**

**Please review and all that jazz so I can try and improve this story for your entertainment :)**

**Without further ado, here's chapter 2 (I did it again :P)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead, only my wonderful OC **

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A small beam of light broke through the curtain, hitting Dallas directly in the eye. After a few minutes of that incessant sunlight, he pulled himself out of bed and pulled the curtains together as far as he could; making sure that no light could ruin his sleep in. He moved back over to the bed and crawled underneath the covers, wrapping his arms around the still sleeping Sandra.

"Hey babe, you awake yet?" he asked, resting his chin on her shoulder. When she didn't respond, he decided to leave her to sleep, getting back out of bed. Since he was already awake, he decided he might as well get up now, to go and check on Clementine. He shuffled out of the room, feeling like a zombie, just wondering down the Clementine's room. He quietly opened the door and entered the room slightly, looking at the little girl's sleeping form. Thinking it was best to let her keep on sleeping; he crept back out of the room and closed the door behind him, heading to the kitchen to find something to eat. Upon entering, he walked over to fridge, flinging it open and bending down to see what he could eat. After a few minutes of decision making, he pulled out some leftover cake from the top shelf, slamming the fridge door behind him. He waltzed over to the TV and flopped down on the couch, switching the TV on to see the happenings of the world at large. The news was the first thing to come up, a 'breaking news' story flashing on the screen.

_All over the area, strange things have been happening. Sick people die every day on hospital beds and in their own homes, leaving their families heartbroken. This past week has been different however. A pandemic has begun to sweep the nation. These so called people who have 'died' have been waking up, with new vigour, attacking their friends and family unprovoked. So if you know someone who…_

"Yeah sure, dead people coming back to life. What is this, a horror flick?" Dallas said sarcastically, sticking the last bit of cake into his mouth, letting a few crumbs fall onto the seat beside him. Feeling that his morning hunger had been satisfied, he brought the plate back to the kitchen and chucked it in the sink, opting to clean it after dinner. He walked back to his room, thinking it would be a good idea to get dressed and wake Sandra up, ready for another day of babysitting. Stepping into his assigned room for the week, he saw that Sandra was still asleep, so he quietly moved over to the wardrobe, pulling out some clothes that he could wear for the day. He slipped on a pair of jeans and a black shirt, and insignia for the band, Mayday Parade, taking up most of the front. Pleased with his clothing choice for the day, he strolled over to the nearby window and threw open the curtains, allowing the light outside to come streaming in, illuminating the room in very bright and natural light. Once the window was opened to allow fresh air into the room, Dallas moved over to the bed on Sandra's side and began to shake her lightly, to wake her up.

"Sandra? Time to wake up and take care of Clem," he crooned, shaking her shoulder a little harder. After shaking her for a few seconds, Sandra still didn't respond, her eyes not making any noticeable movement. At this point, Dallas began to panic, shaking her body quite violently and shouting her name repeatedly, trying to get her to wake up. He grabbed her wrist to tried to find a pulse, but failed to find one after holding onto it for a little while. His eyes darted around the room, looking for something he could use to try and help Sandra, something that could wake her up. When he couldn't see anything, he decided it was time for a last resort, and ran over to his phone and dialling triple zero, hoping to get an ambulance over as quickly as possible.

"Is something wrong with Sandra?" a small voice asked from the doorway. Dallas looked at the door to see Clementine standing there, rubbing the sleep out of her still tired eyes.

"I think there might be, hold on," Dallas replied, finally getting someone on the other side of the phone. Unfortunately, it was just a machine, telling him that all lines were currently busy, and telling him to call back later. He slammed his phone on the table in frustration, picking up his keys and running over to lift Sandra into his arms, running out of the room with Clementine close at his heels.

"Where are we going Dallas?" she questioned, trying her best to keep pace with him.

"I need to get Sandra to the hospital, I think she might be very sick," he answered, finally making it to the front door. He went to open the door, but had a hard time of it, all of his focus being on carrying Sandra. Clementine walked up to the door and opened it for him, allowing the two of them to exit the house, to be met with quite a grizzly scene. Walking down the foot path nearby was a rather large man, blood dripping from his mouth. Upon hearing the front door open, he turned to look at the three that had just come out, and began walking to walk towards them, a bloodlust in his eyes. After looking around to see a way around this guy, Dallas noticed that there were a few others that were blocking his path, making sure that he couldn't get to his car.

"What do we do?" Clementine asked, fear plaguing her voice.

"Back inside, now!" Dallas commanded, pushing Clementine back into the house and slamming the door behind him. He moved over to the couch and placed Sandra down on the couch, running over to the nearby telephone to try the hospital again. Clementine walked over to the couch, checking on Sandra herself.

"Dallas," Clementine said, just as the line picked up the machine again.

"Godammit," he cursed, slamming the phone back down on the receiver.

"Dallas," Clementine repeated, staring at Sandra's still body.

"What is it Clementine?" he asked, leaning down on the counter the telephone had been placed on.

"Sandra's waking up."

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**Don't you guys just love cliffhangers :D I know I do.**

**Hopefully that was good for you to read, as much as it was for me to write it, I'm pretty proud of myself so far :)**

**As I have said, lets get to reviewing this so I can improve anything I may have missed and get right on to the next chapters :D It's also nice to know everyone's thoughts on my story, just so I can get the pleasure of knowing I am doing something good :3**

**I may have the next chapter ready to post, but I think I may make you guys wait until later on... 3:)**

**Goodbye for now fellow fanfickers :D**


	3. Chapter 3 - It Can't Be True

"Sandra? Sandra, are you okay?!" Dallas asked, almost yelling, as he shook Sandra's waking form. Her eyes began to flutter open, the same bloodshot look from the night before staring back at him. Both Dallas and Clementine sighed in relief, looking at each other and smiling. Sandra began to groan in pain, looking around the room like the place was foreign to her. Dallas jumped up from his knees, running to the kitchen to pour her some water, thinking she was probably dehydrated.

"Are you okay Sandra?" Dallas heard Clementine ask, as he saw her moving closer to the couch. This movement must have spurred something in Sandra, as she began to move from her lying down position, inching towards Clementine, her hand outstretched. Before either Dallas or Clementine knew what was happening, Sandra grabbed Clementine by the arm, pulling her close, snarling while she did so.

"Sandra, what are you doing? Stop, you're hurting her," Dallas shouted, running over to the two girls. He tried to pry Sandra's fingers off of the now frightened Clementine, who was whimpering and begging Dallas with her eyes to help her. When he was finally able to get Sandra's fingers off of Clementine, he pushed her away, pulling Clementine into a tight embrace.

"What's wrong with her Dallas?" Clementine asked, a few stray tears dampening Dallas' shirt. He looked at the now angered Sandra, who was glaring at the two of them.

"I don't know, I want you to go to your room okay? And don't come out until I tell you to. Understood?" Clementine looked up into Dallas' eyes with her big, baby brown eyes. She nodded her head, pulling out of his arms and leaving the room, going down the hall. Once Dallas heard her door close, he looked to Sandra, who had gotten up and was walking towards him, a dark look in her eyes.

"What is going on Sandra, why are you doing this?" he asked, moving towards her as well. When she was in touching distance of Dallas, she reached her hand out towards him, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him in. Not understanding what was going on, he tried get her off of him, but her death grip was stronger than usual. He soon had her hand off of him, pushing her back once more, making her hit the ground with a soft thud. Dallas ran around the couch and ran to the kitchen, hoping to find something that could maybe knock her out. He looked around, and noticed a hammer sitting close to the edge of the counter, but looked past it, reaching for a fry pan. Before he had a chance to pick it up however, Sandra jumped out of nowhere, tackling Dallas to the ground. The two began to wrestle with each other, rolling around on the cold kitchen tiles. When he was finally able to get her off of him, he pulled himself away from her, his back hitting the cupboards, knocking the hammer down from its original resting place. Dallas looked from the hammer, to the snarling face of Sandra, and then back to the hammer. Closing his eyes in regret, he picked the hammer up and readied it, waiting for Sandra to get closer. By the time Sandra had finally crawled over to Dallas, he took a deep breath and gave her a desperately apologetic look, knowing that this was going to hurt him just as much as it was going to hurt her. He swung the hammer right into the side of her head, making a loud squelching noise as it made contact. She was knocked onto her side, but she was still moving, snarls escaping her mouth. Dallas moved up from his sitting position and brought the hammer down on her forehead, hearing the skull crack under the impact. Noticing that she was still moving, he swung the hammer once last time, putting all of his strength behind it. It hit her hard, making Sandra's forehead concave, leaving a deep dent in her head, which seemed to finally stop her moving. Dallas dropped the hammer to the ground, the loud clanging sound seeming to resonate through the now silent house. He knelt down beside her, picking Sandra up by her now bloodied head.

"I'm sorry Sandra, I'm so sorry," he said, tears rolling down his cheeks onto her grey cheeks. He began to rock her back and forth, not really believing what he had just done.

"Dallas?" He looked up from his place on the ground to see a horrified Clementine, staring at the gruesome scene. All Dallas could do was stare back at her, not being able to form any words in his mouth. After a few minutes of just staring at each other, Dallas looked back at the gaping eyes of his girlfriend. He moved his shaking hands to her face, closing her eyes, his sobs becoming louder by the second.

A few days later, Dallas was still seated on the floor, cradling his dead girlfriend just staring at her grey face, never moving from his spot. Clementine had tried her best to take care of him while he was in his shocked state, getting him food and water when she thought he needed it. When night came, she would not worry about her bed, and just rest her head on his shoulder, easily falling asleep with the sound of his heartbeat at her ear. The phone had rung a couple of times during those couple of days, but Clementine had been too busy watching over Dallas to notice. She was never allowed to answer the phone, only the adults could do that. So here she was, seated next to Dallas, who was still staring with wide eyes at Sandra. She hoped that he would snap out of this soon, so that she could find out where her parents were. They were supposed to be back yesterday, but they still hadn't come home yet. She was beginning to get a little worried, hoping that the phone calls she hadn't answered weren't from her parents. They were the only real family that she had, she had never met any aunts or uncles before. Looking back to Dallas, she realised that he was kind of family to her, always helping Sandra to take care of her when her parents had to go away. He was like the big, stupid brother that she had never had. This thought made her smile, as she leant her head on his shoulder again. He flinched at the touch, looking down at Clementine, the first movement he had made in days. Unfortunately, that was all he did, as he moved his head back to face Sandra, resuming his staring. With an audible groan, Clementine stood up from the floor and moved over to the cupboard, hoping to find some leftover food somewhere. She searched through the bottom cupboards and came up with nothing. Looking up at the higher cupboards, she began wishing that she was taller, so that she could reach up there. Her eyes lit up with an idea, as she ran over to the table and grabbed one of the chairs, dragging it back over to the counter. She hefted herself up and was able to successfully reach the cupboard, but was still unable to find any food. When she was just about ready to give up, she heard a voice outside the house.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" a man shouted. Clementine looked out the window to see a strange man limping towards the house, moving slowly towards the back porch. She jumped down from the chair, running to sitting beside Dallas, and began to shake him by the shoulder.

"Dallas? Dallas please, there's someone here. I'm scared." She continued to shake his shoulder, but stopped when she heard the back door slide open. She looked at the hammer lying on the ground nearby, and quickly grabbed it, holding it close to her chest like a security blanket. Listening to the footsteps of the man, she could hear them moving closer to the kitchen, seeing his shadow on the floor in front of her. She held her breath, hoping that he would go away, but he kept on walking, finally standing right in front of her. She stared at his shoes, slowly sliding her eyes up the rest of him, to meet his eyes, which were staring right back at her.

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**...very spooky... :P**

**Another chapter gone, another successful one at that ^_^**

**The next chapter will finally be a part of the game itself, crossing over into the storyline!**

**Although changes won't be evident until the later chapters, so you guys will have to follow along until those changes show... Incentive :D**

**There may be a few changes in dialogue, but apart from that, new things will start to show later, so hang in there guys :D**

**See you in the next chapter :3**


	4. Chapter 4 - Hello, My Name is

Fear clouded Clementine's vision as she was faced with the menacing man standing in front of her, trembling in fear as she stared up at him.

"Hey little one, are you two okay?" he asked kindly, kneeling down so that he was level with Clementine. This surprised her, making her look at the man sideways, wondering what he was doing here. She noticed that his leg was bleeding, the blood staining his pants a little.

"Are you okay?" she asked, holding the hammer closer to her chest.

"I'm okay honey, don't worry, I just had a little accident. Is he okay?" Clementine looked to Dallas sitting next to her, who still had yet to notice the man kneeling only a few inches away.

"He had to hurt Sandra. Sandra was hurting me and he had no choice," she whimpered, a few tears falling from her eyes.

"Damn. How long has been sitting there?" the man asked, trying to get Dallas' attention.

"For three days now, I think," Clementine answered, looking worriedly at Dallas. The man moved in front of Dallas and reach out his hand towards his shoulder.

"Hey son, are you-" he began to say, before Dallas' hand suddenly shot up and grabbed the man's wrist, gripping it tightly.

"Who the hell are you?" he snarled, glaring at the man.

"Hello, my name is Lee Everett. I needed some shelter and when I saw your house, I thought I could find some in here," Lee told him, not making any move to get his arm back. Dallas looked Lee up and down, trying to assess whether he was dangerous or not. He looked at Clementine, his eyes becoming softer as he looked at her.

"Did he hurt you Clem?" he asked, moving his stare back to Lee.

"No Dallas, he didn't. He's nice," she replied, giving Lee a small smile. Dallas looked Lee up and down again, and finally let go of his wrist, a neutral look on his face.

"Good enough for me." He went back to looking at Sandra, ignoring the world once more.

"Where are your parents?" Lee asked, directing the question to Clementine.

"They're away in Savannah I think, they haven't come back yet," she replied, looking down at her lap. Lee put a hand on her shoulder, making her look back into his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you until we find of them," he reassured her, giving her another smile, which she returned in kind. "So how old are you two?" he asked, looking at the silent Dallas.

"I'm eight, and Dallas is seventeen I think," Clementine answered, looking to Dallas for confirmation, who nodded his head. Nodding his own head, Lee stood up from the ground, helping Clementine to her feet as well.

"We need to get you guys out of here, find someplace that's a little bit safer," he said, moving to the back door and looking outside.

"I can't leave her." Lee and Clementine looked at Dallas, who had fresh tear stains on his cheeks.

"You have no choice son, we have to get you out of here," Lee told him firmly, moving back into the kitchen.

"But-" Dallas began to say, before Clementine appeared at his side, resting a small hand on his shoulder.

"Dallas, we need to go." He looked up into her eyes, pleading her to not make him do it. Dropping his head in defeat, he pushed Sandra's body off of his lap, standing up. Happy that he was finally moving after so many days, Clementine ran right into his arms, hugging him as tightly as she could.

"We'd better get out of here before it gets dark," Lee announced, leading the way out of the kitchen and to the back door, sliding it open.

"Wait!" Clementine exclaimed, running out of the kitchen. She ran down the hall and went straight to her room, throwing open the door and moving over to her chest of drawers. She slid open the top one and pulled out a pair of walkie talkies. After closing the drawer, she ran back out of her room and made her way back over to her two companions, ready to go. The threesome walked outside, making their way down the steps and over to the nearby gate, scanning the area for anyone that was acting like Sandra had been. Before they could go out onto the street, they saw two men near a car, complaining about how they were stuck.

"Dallas?" Clementine began to pull on the side of Dallas' shirt, trying to get his attention.

"What's up?" he asked, looking down at his young companion.

"Should I stay? I mean, I don't want to be alone up in my treehouse, but what if my parents come back and I'm not here?" she asked, looking up at Dallas with sad eyes. He kneeled down so that he was at her eye level, looking right at her.

"I don't have any plans to leave you alone okay? We just need to go find a safer place for now," he told her. She nodded in return, seeming to understand what he was saying to her. He stood back up and she took his hand, as the two of them followed Lee out through the gate towards the two nearby men. At the sound of the gate opening, the two men turned around to face us, fear filling them to the brim.

"Holy shit!" one of the men shouted, staggering back into the car that was placed behind him.

"Don't eat us!" the other man shouted, backing into the same car as the first man.

"We're not going to hurt you, don't worry," Lee reassured the two men, putting his hands up as a sign of good faith.

"Phew, for a second there we thought the three of you were just about ready to give us the chomp," the second man told us, relief evident in his voice.

"What are you guys trying to do?" Dallas asked, not letting go of Clementine's hand but still moving closer.

"We're trying to get out of here, that's what we're trying to do. You guys should do the same, those things are everywhere, it doesn't matter where you go. I haven't seen anything as bad as this neighbourhood since Atlanta, fifteen miles or so," the man replied. "I'm Shawn by the way, Shawn Greene."

"My name's Lee. This is Dallas and the little one is Clementine," Lee said, introducing the two kids in turn. The first man knelt down to get a better look at Clementine, giving her a warm smile.

"I'm Chet," he said, making Clementine hide behind Dallas a bit, but she still returned his smile.

"It isn't safe for us to be out in the open like this. How about you help us out by clearing the way, and we'll take you and your kids out of here, down to my family's farm. It should be safer there," Shawn offered, looking between Lee and both Dallas and Clementine.

"I'm not their dad, I'm just some guy. I found them holed up in the house here," Lee told him, gesturing to the house behind him.

"So are you her older brother or…" Shawn trailed off, trying to understand how the three of them were related.

"I'm her babysitter, I was taking care of her when this all started," Dallas replied, looking down at Clementine with a small smile. Shawn nodded his understanding, moving towards the car.

"We had better get moving, who knows when one of those things will show up," Shawn said, placing his hands on the hood of the car. As if on cue, loud snarling could be heard nearby, moving everyone into action. Lee and Dallas ran over to the car to help push it out of the way, leaving Clementine to watch as those things started closing in on the group. Before long, the car was finally out of the way of a nearby truck, which everyone ran over to quickly, getting ready to escape. Dallas and Clementine hopped into the front seat with Shawn, while Lee and Chet jumped in the back, as Shawn started the engine, speeding away from the things that were almost on top of them. Clementine took one last look at the neighbourhood she had grown up in, knowing that she may never have the chance to return.

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**And here we are fellow fanfickers :D**

**Jumping right into the storyline, but where will we go now?**

**As I said before, the major changes will be coming up later on, with a few minor changes along the way, hopefully they turn out for the best...**

**Hope you are enjoying this so far, because I know I am :D**

**Anyway, I shall see you when I bring the next chapter out, when we arrive at Hershel's farm...**


	5. Chapter 5 - Looks Like We Get the Barn

The drive to Shawn's farm was a long and silent one, no one opting to say a single word to break the silence. All Dallas could do for the entire trip was stare out the window at the sun, watching it fall below the horizon, allowing darkness to creep out over the fields surrounding the road. As the day moved along, Clementine let out a loud yawn, and rubbed her eyes for good measure. Nudging her in the shoulder, Dallas patted his lap, offering her a place to sleep. She graciously accepted, leaning down and resting her head on his leg, falling asleep almost instantly.

"You're good with her, you know that?" Shawn commented, smiling at Dallas.

"I've had plenty of practice, so you would hope I was," Dallas joked, gently stroking Clementine's hair.

"You really care about her don't you?" Shawn inquired, giving him a slightly sadder smile.

"I'm all she's got right now. With her parents not being around, someone has to take care of her, and I guess I'm the best person for the job," Dallas admitted, staring down protectively at the little girl asleep in his lap.

"Hard to believe you aren't her older brother." The rest of the drive after that went back to silence, everyone anxiously waiting to arrive at the farm. It wasn't long before the car was driving past a cornfield, signalling that they were close to their destination. After another couples minutes of driving, Shawn pulled up to a farm house and switched the engine off, opening his door and jumping out of the car. The rest of the group followed suit, Lee and Chet getting out of the back, while Dallas gently woke Clementine up, helping her out of the truck.

"I'm a run on home now. My mama's gonna be in a snit." Chet told Shawn, stretching his arms above his head.

"No sweat, I'll see you tomorrow night," Shawn said, patting his friend on the back.

"It was nice to meet the three of ya," Chet said to Dallas, Lee and Clementine, before walking off, back down the road that had just driven along. Clementine took a hold of Dallas' hand again as they walked over to the house, seeing an older man open the front door and come walking out. The man noticed Shawn nearby, and quickly made his way over to him, a relieved look on his face.

"Thank god, you're okay," he said, pulling Shawn into a tight hug.

"I was worried it would be bad here too," Shawn agreed, hugging the man back. The two men pulled apart, but the man held his son at arm's length, checking for injuries.

"Been quiet as usual for the past few days. A few problem's here and there, but nothing I hadn't seen," the man said, satisfied that Shawn looked healthy enough.

"I never would've made it back without Chet," Shawn told the man, turning around the face the group of newcomers.

"Well, I'm glad you did then," the man told him, following Shawn's gaze. "I see you've brought a few guests along with you." The man said, looking at Lee, Clementine and Dallas in turn.

"We kind of need a place to stay," Lee said, motioning to the two kids standing beside him.

"Well, the three of you are welcome to stay here, but just for the night. It's not like I run a bed and breakfast," the man joked.

"Thank you," Lee said, looking at Dallas and Clementine expectantly.

"So it's just you and your kids then?" the man asked Lee, giving a warm smile to Dallas and Clementine.

"They're not his kids. He's just some guy that found them holed up in a house. The older one is the little one's babysitter," Shawn informed the man, who looked unsure. He knelt down to look at Clementine, something that everyone seemed to be doing, Dallas noticed.

"Honey, do you know these boys?" the man asked, nodding towards Lee and Dallas.

"Yes," Clementine replied instantly, gripping Dallas's hand a little tighter.

"Ok then. Well, it looks like you hurt your leg pretty bad there," the man pointed out, talking about Lee's blood stained leg.

"Yeah, it's not doing so good," Lee admitted, scratching his head sheepishly.

"Don't worry, I can help you out," the man reassured Lee, turning to Shawn. "Take the kids over to the barn to find a place to sleep, then run on into the house and check on your sister. You, take a seat up on the porch and I'll go see what I have," the man told Shawn and Lee respectively, turning around and heading back into the house. Lee headed up to the porch, waving a goodnight to Dallas and Clementine, while Shawn led them over to the barn.

"There should be some blankets for you to use in there. Goodnight." With that, Shawn walked back over to the house, leaving Dallas and Clementine to enter the barn by themselves. They looked around their new home for the night, deciding that things could be worse. Seeing some blankets nearby, Dallas picked up two of them, leading Clementine over to a corner of the barn and passing her one of the blankets. He laid himself down on the ground, covering the blanket over his entire body, while Clementine did the same beside him.

"This place smells like…" Clementine trailed off, trying to think of a way to finish her sentence.

"Shit?" Dallas offered with a chuckle, receiving a scowl from Clementine in return.

"Swear," she said. Dallas gave an apologetic look, putting his hands in front of his face in defence.

"Sorry Clem, anyway, maybe we should-" Dallas began, before Clementine cut him off with a soft sniffle.

"I miss my mom and dad," she sniffed, looking on the verge of tears. Dallas opened his arms to her, allowing her to crawl the short distance into them, so that he could wrap his arms around her.

"Don't worry Clem, I'm sure they're okay," he reassured her, softly stroking her hair like he had on the car ride here. After a few minutes of the two of them laying there, Clementine looked away a bit and looked up at Dallas, a slightly serious look on her face.

"How far is Savannah?" she asked, hoping to hear some good news.

"Pretty far unfortunately," Dallas told her, giving a remorseful look.

"Oh. Ok." Was all she said, before she snuggled into Dallas' chest and went to sleep. Dallas looked up at the ceiling, looking back at all of the events that had passed in under a few days. He had lost his girlfriend, having no choice but to kill her, had been taken in by a strange man, and then by a new family, and to top it all off, he was taking care of this little girl now. If anyone had told him that all of this would be happening a week ago, he would've laughed in there face and kept walking down the street, not believing a word that had fallen out of their mouth. Deciding he had better get some rest, he closed his eyes, quickly drifting off into a deep sleep.

* * *

**Aren't these two just the cutest? ^_^**

**The more of this I write, the more I enjoy myself, it's awesome :D**

**I have some plans for this story will lead, which will hopefully be into a second story based in Season 2, but there will definitely be some twists that how it is told.**

**Last note, I shall be having a beta reader be looking at my future chapters , so then I can make this story even better for all you guys ^_^**

**Thanks guys, I shall see you in my next chapter! ^_^**


	6. Chapter 6 - A Man and His Boy

Early the next morning, Dallas woke up to find Clementine and Lee nowhere in sight. Stretching his arms above his head, he stumbled to his feet and walked to the barn doors, sliding them open, letting sunshine stream onto his face. Once his eyes had adjusted to the sudden brightness, he scanned the area, noticing Clementine sitting on a nearby hay bale, talking to an older blonde woman. She wasn't the only new face either, as Dallas noticed a man with his head stuck in the hood of a truck. Deciding to check on Clementine first, Dallas walked over to her, receiving a warm smile from the blonde woman she was sitting with.

"Hello, my name's Katjaa," she greeted warmly. Dallas returned the smile that she was giving him hesitantly.

"I'm Dallas. I see you've already met Clem," he said, sitting on Clementine's other side, smiling down at her.

"Of course. She was actually just telling me about the first grade," Katjaa told him, looking to Clementine for confirmation.

"It's easy," she said.

"As you've told me many, many times," Dallas joked, poking her in the ribs playfully, which made her giggle. The three of them continued to sit there for another couple of minutes, talking about the weather and Clementine talking more about school, mentioning to Katjaa her good maths skills.

"You're good at maths as well? You must be a very smart girl," Katjaa stated, her warm smile still present on her face.

"If she is, she never told me," Dallas joked, getting a pout out of Clementine. To get rid of it, he began to tickle her, her frown soon disappearing in fits of laughter, as he poked and prodded her in all of her tender spots.

"You're so good with her. You must be a very good older brother," Katjaa commented, happy to watch the display of affection. Clementine and Dallas looked at each other, and then to Katjaa, the two of them laughing in unison.

"We're not related. My girlfriend was her babysitter, and I ended up going over a lot to help. So we kind of, well, bonded," Dallas told Katjaa, giving Clementine a side hug, his arm around her shoulders.

"You're still an awesome older brother, even if you're not." Before Dallas could say anything in reply, the man that was in the truck before came walking up, wiping sweat off of his brow.

"Hey hon, who's this fella?" he asked Katjaa, putting his hand out for Dallas to shake.

"This is Dallas," Katjaa told him, as Dallas shook the man's hand firmly.

"And you are?" Dallas asked, once he got his hand back.

"Name's Kenny, I'm this lovely lady's husband, and father of Duck, who you may not have had the pleasure to meet yet," Kenny answered, his smile pushing his bushy moustache up against his nose.

"I'm sure I will soon enough. So, how did you guys end up here?" Dallas asked, looking between the married couple.

"Well, we were coming down from Memphis. We were visiting Kat's sister up there, and then shit hit the fan. We were at a gas station and some crazy guy attacked Duck. Needless to say, I got the bastard off of him, and we drove away, not looking back. We just kept on driving, passing by people in need and more of those crazy people, just roaming the streets. We even ran over a few of those things on our way up here. Before long, we stumbled upon this farm, and Hershel was kind enough to let us stay here while we got our bearings. Now here we are, almost ready to be on our way to Macon," Kenny answered, taking his hat off to scratch his head.

"Sounds like an adventure," Dallas said, as Kenny put his hat back on.

"You and the girl are welcome to come along with us when we leave," Kenny offered, nodding towards Clementine.

"That would be appreciated, thanks. We would have to take Lee along with us as well. He helped us get to safety, so we could never leave him behind. Is that okay?" Dallas enquired, giving Kenny a hopeful look.

"Already talked to Lee about it, and he accepted the offer as well, so there's nothing to worry about," Kenny reassured Dallas. Just as the words finished leaving Kenny's lips, a scream split the air. Dallas jumped up from the hay bale and ran towards the noise, Kenny close behind. They soon found the source of the screaming. It was Shawn and, who Dallas presumed to be Duck, both being attacked by more of those things. Lee was just standing there, not moving, seemingly frozen to the spot. Without hesitation, Dallas ran straight over to Duck, trying to pry the fingers of the thing that was attacking him off of his shoulders. Kenny ran over to help as well, while Lee finally began moving, trying to move the tractor off of Shawn. Dallas looked around for something to help, and saw a plank of wood, picking it up and smacking it against the face of the thing that was gripping onto Duck, making it let go and fall backwards onto the ground. Kenny hefted Duck into his arms, and looked worriedly at Lee and Shawn.

"Help me Kenny!" he shouted, trying to shove the tractor off. Kenny ran off in a panic, Duck still in his arms. Ignoring the retreating form of Kenny, Dallas ran over to help Lee, shoving the tractor as hard as he could. Unfortunately, their efforts were for naught, as the fence broke, allowing those things to fall on top of Shawn, letting them rip his flesh with their teeth. A gunshot rang out, killing one of the things that was on top of Shawn. Another two gunshots and those things were no more, their limp bodies scattered on the ground. Silence hang in the air as Hershel shuffled over, the metallic smell of blood invading Dallas' nostrils. Hershel slumped down to his knees, dropping his gun beside him, tears rolling down his cheeks. Not being able to bare the sight of Shawn's bloodied body, Dallas turned away, noticing Kenny returning with Duck, Katjaa and Clementine in tow. Clementine instantly ran into Dallas' arms, hugging him as tightly as she could.

"Are you okay Dallas?" she asked, digging her head into his chest.

"I'm okay don't worry," he reassured her, pulling her in closer.

"Get out," Hershel said quietly. Dallas turned around with Clementine still in his arms, to look at Hershel.

"Hershel, please-" he began.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" he screamed, stalking towards Kenny in a fit of rage.

"I'm sorry," was all Kenny could say, looking down at the ground, his face a mask of regret and guilt.

"Sorry? Your son is alive, you don't get to be sorry!" Hershel spat, he voice full of venom.

"Hershel-" Dallas tried again, but was cut off by Hershel's hand.

"Quiet, I'm not finished yet. You and Lee at least tried to help my Shawn, but this asshole was only worried about his own son," he said, his eyes going soft for a split second, before becoming angry once more.

"I thought that Lee and Dallas had it taken care of, I was just trying to protect my son," Kenny told him, bringing Hershel's rage tumbling back on top of him like a tonne of bricks.

"Look at him. You thought wrong. And now…" he trailed off, looking at the dead body lying nearby, fresh blood seeping out of the wound.

"I'm sorry," Kenny said again. Hershel was silent for a few seconds, just staring down at the lifeless body of Shawn.

"Please. Just go. Get out and never come back!" he yelled, walking towards Shawn and kneeling down again, not being able to hold back the tears anymore. Kenny looked at the dishevelled man, looking like he was about to say something, his mouth opening slightly, but then he must've thought better of it. He then looked up at Lee, then both Clementine and Dallas.

"You're still welcome to come along with us to Macon if you want." He said, before walking away, having one last look at the grisly scene before them. Dallas looked over at Lee, who just had a blank face as he walked away, the shock of the situation probably still stuck in his mind. Clementine pulled out of Dallas' arms and took him by the hand, leading him away from the very distraught Hershel, taking him away from the farm.

* * *

**...well...that was violent. **

**Guess it's time for us to get moving to Macon :D**

**I thought I might put up another chapter alongside the other one, I thought you guys might appreciate it ^_^**

**The next chapter is quite a long one, around twice as long as the ones I have written so far :P**

**I shall see you all next time ^_^**


	7. Chapter 7 - What an Asshole

It wasn't long after what happened to Shawn, that Lee, Clementine and Dallas joined Kenny and his family in his truck, leaving the farm and everything there far behind them. The ride to Macon was very quiet, no one really knowing how they could break the silence. Dallas was sitting in the back of the truck with Lee, while Clementine was sitting in the back seat with Katjaa and Duck, asleep on the window. Dallas looked over at Lee, who was looking off into the distance, something seeming to be on his mind.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Dallas asked, snapping Lee out of his imaginings.

"What, Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about what happened back at the farm. I can't help but feel I am the one to blame for Shawn's death," he replied, giving Dallas a depressed look. You know you can't blame yourself. Most other people in that situation would freeze up as well. Hell, I almost didn't react as quickly as I did, but I knew I had to save Duck. Besides, I am as much to blame for his death as you are, neither of us were able to get the tractor out of the way, it was too heavy," Dallas reassured him, patting Lee on the shoulder.

"It doesn't make me feel any better about what happened, but thanks for trying anyway," Lee said, before focusing his attention elsewhere again. Silence flooded over them again for the next few hours, the only noise to be heard was to roar of the engine as it sped along the road. The truck soon arrived in Macon, the last stop on their journey. All around them were wrecked cars, the windows smashed in for some of them, giant dents in others and there were even a few that were turned on their side. Kenny stopped the truck and everyone hopped out, looking at the town before us.

"Well, this is as far as we're going," Kenny said, slamming his car door shut.

"Then it's far enough," Lee agreed, making his way down the road. The group moved along the road closely together, being careful not to stray too far away from each other as they walked. After they had gone down the road a little, the group came upon a drugstore, which Lee seemed to be quite interested in. Dallas and Clementine walked up beside him, looking up at the glowing sign.

"Have you been here before?" Dallas asked, examining the store closely.

"Yeah, I used to live here, before-" Lee began to say, before he was cut off by Duck.

"Look" he said, pointing to a nearby overturned car. Everyone looked over at the car and saw that there was a person crouched over something, who hadn't seemed to notice the group yet.

"Hey there, you friendly? Truck's run out of gas," Kenny called to the person, stepping forwards a bit. Upon closer inspection, they realised with horror that it was one of those things from before, eating a living person. It turned its head towards the group and snarled, stumbling to its feet. Kenny breathed a profanity at the sudden revelation, shuffling back a little. Then suddenly, seemingly out of thin air, more of those things started to appear. They crawled out from underneath cars, walked out of alleyways, just popping up everywhere you looked.

"We're trapped!" Katjaa screamed, as these things began to slowly close in on them, no visible escape to be seen. Upon hearing a scream, Clementine moved closer to Dallas with a gasp, as one of those things fell on top of Duck. Before anyone had a chance to run over and help him, a gunshot rang out through the air, making the thing on top of Duck drop dead. He crawled out from underneath it and ran over to his parents, the both of them wrapping him in their arms. Dallas looked over to the source of the gunshot, and saw a woman nearby with a gun pointed at the things enclosing on their space.

"Run!" Dallas heard a new voice shout, which came from a man standing in the doorway of the drugstore. Without hesitation, Dallas took Clementine by the hand and ran towards the drugstore, the rest of the group following close behind. The woman with the gun let off two more shots, before following Dallas and the rest into the store, the man closing the gate as she ran inside.

After stumbling into the building, the group began to pant from the sudden burst of adrenaline that they used up getting inside.

"We can't keep taking risks like this," Dallas heard a woman say. He stood up straight to see who it was that had said that, and saw who it was. She was maybe around his height and had brown hair. She seemed to be quite angry about something, but he was not sure what she was angry about.

"And we can't just let people die either," the woman with the gun spat, becoming very angry herself.

When I say, 'that door stays shut no matter what' I fucking mean it. We don't know who these people are, they could be dangerous," said the brunette woman matter-of-factly, gesturing to Dallas and the rest of his group.

"Worse, they could've led them right to us," an older man pointed out, who had stepped out of nowhere up to the group without Dallas noticing.

"Where the hell is your humanity? They would've died out there," the woman with the gun remarked, turning her anger towards the old man.

"We have kids with us," Lee said, a worried look crossing his face.

"I see one little girl," the old man spat back. Dallas moved into the middle of it all, raising his voice a little.

"There's also that little boy over there. It shouldn't matter whether there is one or two or however many kids. We have kids with us, that's all that matters," Dallas said, looking around the group, getting an approving look from Kenny.

"Those things out there don't give a shit," the brunette woma said, taking a threatening step towards Dallas.

"Then maybe you should go join 'em then. You'll have something in common," Kenny growled, stepping in front of Dallas protectively.

"Dallas?" Looking around, Dallas looked down at Clementine, who had a worried look on her face.

"What is it?" he asked, trying to listen to the arguing that was still going on.

"I need to pee," she said.

"Can it wait, we're in the middle of a discussion," Dallas told her, turning back to the conversation, as she walked away, moving towards Lee.

"God dammit Lilly, you have to control these people," the old man warns the brunette woman.

"Carley and Glenn just ran out there, I couldn't stop them," Lilly snapped.

"I don't give a flying fuck. We're in a fucking war zone," the old man tells her, making her step back.

"You took a risk in helping us, we understand that, and we're thankful that you did. But you-" Dallas began saying, drawing all attention to him or so he thought.

"Holy shit. One of them is bitten," the old man said, looking directly at Duck, who was sitting with Katjaa at the back of the store.

"He wasn't bitten," Lee said bluntly.

"The hell he wasn't! We have to end this now." The old man moved towards Duck and Katjaa, the latter cleaning up Duck's face. Kenny ran from his spot to get over to his family before the old man could, with Dallas and Lee following close behind.

"Over my dead body," he threatened, stepping in front of the old man.

"We'll dig one hole," the old man countered with a snarl.

"No, I'm cleaning him up! There's no bite, he's fine," Katjaa pleaded frantically, desperately searching for Duck's non-existent bite mark.

"Don't any of you fucking people get it? We've already seen this happen. We let someone with a bite stay and we all end up dead," the old man exclaimed, addressing the entire group.

"Shut up!" Kenny cut in, moving more in front of his family.

"We've got to throw him out of here, or smash his head in," the old man suggested, turning back around to face Kenny.

"Kenny! Stop him!" Katjaa screamed, holding her son defensively.

"Lee, Dallas, what do we do about this guy?" Kenny asked. Dallas looked the old man up and down, trying to figure out what the best course of action would be.

"We do whatever it takes to take care of Duck," Dallas offered, stepping beside Kenny, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Agreed," Lee said, stepping in beside Dallas. Kenny looked at both Lee and Dallas, silently thanking them, before turning back to the old man.

"Nobody and I mean nobody, threatens by boy and gets away with it," Kenny warns the old man, coming almost nose to nose with him.

"Everyone child the fuck out!" the woman with the gun yells, trying to move in between us.

"Nobody's doing anything," Lilly agrees, trying to do the same.

"Shut up Lilly. And you, shut the fuck up," the old man said to the woman with the gun. "They will find us and they will get in here and none of this will fucking matter. But right now, we're all about to be trapped in here with one of those things!"

"What are you talking about?" Dallas asked, wondering what he was talking about.

"He's bitten, that's how you turn," the old man said, like it is a fact that everyone should know.

"He's not bitten. Dallas, Lee, please stop this, it's upsetting him," Katjaa begged. Dallas looked back to the old man, looking him in the eye.

"I don't care if he's bitten or not, you're not laying a hand on this boy. What if it were your own child that were in his shoes, what would you do then?" Dallas asked, replacing Kenny in front of the old man.

"Never would've happened, she's not some snot nosed toddler like him. She's United States Air Force," he snarled, stepping towards Dallas.

"Ok then. Fuck you and her. I'm going to kill him boys, just watch out for my family," Kenny said, directing his words to Lee and Dallas.

"Dallas?" Clementine called, standing near a door on the far side of the store.

"What is it?" he called back, still glaring at the old man.

"There's someone in there," she said, indicating the door in front of her.

"It's just locked. The key's behind the counter. Probably," Lee said before Dallas could answer, saying the last bit a little too quickly. Deciding to ignore it, Dallas turned his attention back to the situation at hand.

"I'm not the bad guy here, I'm just looking out for my daughter," the old man said defensively.

"No, you're just the guy that's arguing over whether we should kill a kid or not," Kenny snapped.

"He's covered in muck. She'll find the bite. Watch." The old man said, gesturing to Duck and Katjaa.

"She won't," Kenny told him, his anger visibly rising in his chest.

"And if she does?" the old man asked, making Kenny step back in shock. "The first thing he'll do is sink his teeth into his mum's face. Then, he'll probably pounce on that little girl," he said, looking at Clementine, who was walking back over to the bathroom. Both Lee and Kenny looked at a loss for words, so Dallas stepped up to the plate, ready to defend his friends.

"Then we can deal with it if that ends up happening. But right now, you're just scaring everybody," Dallas told him, standing up to his full height.

"Then you had better be ready to deal with it son, because I can guarantee that that boy is bitten," the old man retorted, looking like he was just about ready to spit in Dallas' face.

"It's not gonna happen," Kenny put in, his anger worse than it was before.

"It is, and we're tossing him out now, even if it means getting rid of you too!" the old man shouted, pushing Kenny out of the way. In response, Dallas walked up to the old man and turned him around by his shoulder and punched him right in the jaw, sending him reeling.

"You're not the only one trying to protect a kid in here. Kenny is trying to protect his son, and I am trying to take care of that little girl over there. If you really want to get violent with someone asshole, then come on! I hope you have a plan to kill me as well, because you'll have to go through me before you go through anyone else here!" Dallas roared, making everyone in the store go silent, each of them staring at him. Normally Dallas wasn't the one to pick fights, but when they involved people that he had grown close to, or there were children involved, he couldn't just sit back and watch. Before the old man had a chance to respond to Dallas' outburst, a scream broke through the silence, like a brick shattering a glass window. Everyone looked over to the source of the scream to see Clementine back at the bathroom door, but she wasn't alone this time. One of those things was on the other side, and it came stumbling out towards her.

"Clementine!" Dallas yelled, running over to her. As soon as he reached them, he grabbed the thing from behind, pulling it away from Clementine, allowing her to escape. Dallas began to wrestle with the thing, soon being pushed into a nearby shelf. When it seemed like Dallas was about to lose this fight, a gun was fired and the thing dropped to the ground with a soft thud. Dallas slid to the ground and fell on his back side, panting from the exertion it had taken to fight that thing. Clementine ran over to him and leap into his arms, her sobs staining his already dirty shirt.

"Are you okay?" the woman with the gun asked, walking over to Dallas and Clementine.

"I'm fine, don't worry. Thanks," Dallas replied, looking at the lifeless body lying in front of him, while he gripped Clementine tightly.

"Um, guys?" Dallas heard the man from before say. Everything went silent again, as the sounds of those things outside started to become louder, sounding like they were right outside of the windows.

"Everybody stay down and be quiet," Lilly commanded, as everyone found a place to quickly lay low. After a few minutes of waiting, multiple gunshots could be heard outside.

"Could that be the military?" Dallas asked the woman with the gun, curiosity getting the better of him.

"I don't know," she replied, putting her finger to her lips to quiet him down.

"We almost died because of that stupid bitch and her itchy trigger finger," the old man said, pointing at the woman with the gun. It was stupid, it was-" he continued, before grasping his chest and falling to the ground.

"Dad!" Lilly screamed, running over to him.

"What's wrong with him?" Dallas asked, letting go of Clementine, joining her by the old man's side.

"He has a heart condition. He needs his pills," she replied bluntly.

"This is a drugstore, can't you just-" Dallas started to ask, before Lilly got to her feet.

"We've been trying to get into the pharmacy since we got here, but its locked. Please, you have to try and help him, you have to get in there," she pleaded, looking between Lee and Dallas.

"What will we be looking for?" Lee asked.

"We need to get him nitro-glycerine pills, please try and get in there. I'll watch over my dad while you figure it out," she told us, moving her dad to lean against a wall.

"Everyone else should get comfortable and look around for anything that could be useful. We could be in here a while," Kenny stated to the group. Everyone moved off to separate parts of the drugstore, and having a scan of their chosen areas. After no one came up with anything useful, the guy that they met before moved to the centre of the group.

"I'm starting to think that this drugstore isn't a permanent solution," he decided, looking up at the ceiling in thought.

"It ain't exactly Fort Knox I guess," Dallas agreed.

"Where else can we go though?" Lee pondered aloud.

"First, we'll need to find as much gas as we can possibly find, so that all of us can get out of Macon. Fast. There's a motel not that far from here, I could have a look around there, and look for whatever I can on my way back," he answered.

"If you're insane enough to do that, take this walkie talkie with you. We can keep in contact that way. Clem has the other," Lee told him, handing him said walkie talkie.

"What about you? What's your name?" Kenny asked Lilly.

"I'm Lilly, and this is Larry" she replied, kneeling down next to her dad.

"These boys will get him his medicine, don't worry," Kenny reassured her, giving her a smile, which she returned. "Then you, you're our lookout, watch that door," he said, gesturing to another man.

"It's Doug. You got it," he nodded his head and moved over to the door.

"And I'm Carley," the woman with the gun told Kenny.

"Okay then. You and Doug take turns being look out. Until you two swap, try and get some rest. You're a good shot, and I'd like to keep it that way. Same goes for you Dallas" he said, looking at the teen.

"You got it boss" Carley responded, moving to a nearby shelf.

"Now, you better work on getting him those pills"

* * *

**As I said, this is quite a long chapter, but I thought that I should try and fit it all in ^_^**

**Thanks to my awesome beta-reader, heidipoo, for looking over this chapter to see if there were any mistakes :D**

**You guys should go read her work, she does some really good stuff, so go go go and read read read...**

**After you have read mine of course :P**

**Farewell for now fellow fanfickers**


	8. Chapter 8 - Getting to Know You

Looking around the store, Dallas noticed that the place had been ransacked, probably as soon as everything started going to hell. There was food scattered all over the floor, most of the shelves are very close to being bare. This was definitely not the place to be if you're planning to hold against attacks from those things. The rest of the group had gone off to their own little corners of heaven, so to speak, all of them doing their own thing. Kenny and Katjaa were comforting Duck after the ordeal they had to go through with Larry, and Lee was quietly talking to them, making sure they were okay. Over by the front door, the man named Doug was looking out of the window, being the dutiful watchman of the hour. Carley was playing around with a radio nearby, looking like she was having a few troubles trying to fix it. Larry and Lilly were sitting on the ground nearby, the latter acting almost like a mother hen watching over its chick. Glenn had left a couple of minutes before to go up to the hotel, so he could look for some fuel that the group could use. Altogether, everything was quite calm. The term, 'calm before the storm' came to Dallas' mind looking at the people surrounding him. Moving over to one of the nearby walls, Dallas looked up at the wall, examining the people that were in the pictures, thinking that they must've been the people that owned the store. Since he was going to be stuck with these people for a little while, Dallas decided he might as well get to know everyone. He walked over to Doug first, who was scanning the street outside the window like a hawk looking for its prey, but a little less scary. Dallas tapped him on the shoulder, almost making him jump out of his skin, but he settled down once he saw who it was.

"You shouldn't do that to a guy. Not with the things roaming around outside," he warned, moving his eyes back to the window.

"Sorry about that, I just wanted to come over and chat," Dallas told him, leaning his back against the wall.

"Want to go outside and chat then? We can watch those things roam around?" Doug asked, gesturing to the entrance.

"Why not." Dallas followed Doug to the door, quietly swinging the door open to let in the cool night air, making both of the boys shiver. Closing the door behind them, the two knelt down and had a scan of the area, watching those things just shuffle around aimlessly, like they had no purpose in their lives but to walk and eat.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Doug said, putting his hand over his nose and mouth.

"I have a strong feeling that it is going to take more than a few days to get this whole mess straightened out," Dallas said aloud, which Doug agreed with by nodding. They get down a little closer to the ground, bringing their voices down to a whisper, so that none of the things roaming around could notice them.

"Now what?" Doug asked, watching numerous figures walk by. Dallas does the same, and notices that a telephone pole has fallen on top of one of those things, trapping it. On closer inspection, the face looks familiar to him.

"I think I know that face. When I was looking at the pictures inside before, I think I saw his face. He could be the owner's son or something," Dallas guessed, scratching his chin in thought.

"Poor guy," Doug said, bowing his head in respect.

"There isn't much else that we can really do out here for now, let's just go back inside for now," Dallas said, standing up and turning around to face the door, quietly opening the door again. Once Doug has followed him through, Dallas closes the door behind him, being careful to not make too much noise. The two boys say their goodbyes and Doug goes back to the window, back to being the responsible watchman. Next, Dallas walked over to Kenny and Katjaa, who were still quietly talking to each other, while comforting Duck, who had a blank stare on his face. As soon as they notice Dallas approaching them, they give him a smile, Kenny even going so far as to come out from behind the counter to greet him.

"Hey Dallas. You really gave that old man hell before didn't you?" Kenny laughed, patting him on the back.

"He was threatening your son. I didn't want to see him get hurt, he's been through enough," Dallas tells him once Kenny as stepped back, moving back himself to lean on a nearby shelf.

"You don't have to tell me that. If you hadn't stepped in front of me, I would've ripped that guy's head off," Kenny deadpanned. After a few seconds however he chuckled, making both of them laugh good-heartedly. "Anyway, thanks for your support, Kat and I appreciate it," he said, sticking out his hand for Dallas to shake, which he did.

"How's the little guy doing?" Dallas asked, glancing at Duck.

"He's doing okay I think. It was just a bit of a shock for him," Katjaa answered, putting her hand on Duck's shoulder.

"We were lucky as hell that none of those things grabbed anyone else on the way in here," Kenny said, glancing at the other people inhabiting the store.

"No kidding. How about you guys, are you guys doing okay?" Dallas asked both Kenny and Katjaa.

"We're fine, considering how deep in shit the world is right now," Kenny replied.

"We've all been through a lot," Katjaa agreed, taking her husband's hand.

"Dallas, do you mind if we talk in private?" Kenny asked, gesturing to a place on the wall a little away from his family. Dallas followed him away until he stopped and turned around, his face a mask of sadness.

"What's wrong?" Dallas asked, putting a comforting hand on Kenny's shoulder.

"Back at Hershel's farm. I didn't even try to save him, hell even you and Lee couldn't save him. His blood is on my hands." Kenny looked down at the ground, the situation obviously weighing heavily on him.

"It all happened to quickly Kenny, none of us could've been able to prevent Shawn's death," Dallas reassured him. Kenny took his eyes away from the ground, giving Dallas a hard stare.

"I guess so, but I just can't get him out of my head. My ears are still ringing with the sounds of his screams," Kenny shivered.

"You can't kill yourself over this-" Dallas began to say, before Kenny shook his hand off of his shoulder.

"I killed that boy Dallas. If I hadn't been so worried about my own son, we could've saved him," Kenny snapped, taking Dallas by surprise.

"You are allowed to want to take care of your family, anyone can understand that. Bad things happen, and we can't always change that," Dallas retorted, making Kenny stagger backwards, trying to look anywhere but at the teenager standing in front of him.

"I don't…" he trailed off, looking like he was about to start crying.

"Try to let it go. If you don't, then it will consume you. What will happen to your family then?" Kenny finally met Dallas' eyes, looking defeated, but he seemed to understand. The pair moved back over to Duck and Katjaa to finish their conversation, while Katjaa gave them a worried look, wondering what made her husband so distressed.

"So, what do we do now?" Dallas pondered aloud, hoping that they had some ideas, because he was come up with blanks.

"I guess we just need to hand tight here for now. It looks to be pretty dangerous out there, so we might as well stay her for as long as we can," Kenny suggested.

"That makes sense I suppose. I'm going to go keep talking to everyone, nice talking to you guys," Dallas said, nodding his head to Kenny and Katjaa in turn. Turning around, Dallas moved over to Lilly, who was having a quiet conversation with her father. As soon as she heard approaching footsteps, she looked up at Dallas, a slight glare on her face.

"How's he doing?" he asked, kneeling down on Larry's other side.

"I don't think I caught your name before," she said, a hint of venom in her words.

"I'm Dallas," he responded, sticking his hand out to her. Her gaze never left his face, and she made no mood to shake his hand, so he retracted it.

"I'm Lilly and that's Larry, if you didn't catch that before," she told him, standing up from her kneeling position.

"Nice to meet both of you," Dallas said, looking between Lilly and Larry, the latter rolling his eyes at him.

"I'm sorry about before, I was just trying to protect the group, doing what I had to do," she apologised, her voice softening a little.

"Everyone was, it's okay," he reassured her with a smile.

"This isn't the first time his heart has acted up on him, and yet again, I am powerless to do anything to help him. All of what you guys were doing before, that didn't help either," she said, giving Dallas a firm look.

"I was just trying to protect Duck, I didn't mean for it to go that far," he told her.

"It's fine, what's done is done I suppose. Anyway, did you want something?" she questioned, looking down at Larry.

"Just wanted to get to know you guys a little better. Do you live around her?" Dallas inquired, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I work at Warner Robins, the air force base," she answered.

"Are you a pilot there or…?" he trailed off, hoping she would answer.

"Nah, I'm just one of the mechanical admins. I deal with a bunch of shitheads and bureaucrats all day. Sometimes I might get to work on a plane, if I'm lucky," she joked with a slight chuckle.

"Sounds like the life," Dallas said, laughing along with her.

"What about you? Are you still in school?" she asked.

"It was going to be my last year this year," he told her.

"College?"

"My girlfriend and I were both going to Browns University together when we finished the school year."

"You have a girlfriend? Where is she?" Dallas just gave her a blank stare, looking down at the ground awkwardly. "She's not with us anymore is she?"

"I had to kill her, she became one of those things. Now, all that matters is that I make sure Clementine survives." He looked over at Clementine, who was laughing at something that Lee had just said to her.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. We'll do our best to make sure both of you get out of this," Lilly told him, giving him a sympathetic smile.

"Thanks." Dallas said.

"I better get back to my dad, it was nice talking to you," she said, giving Dallas one last smile before kneeling down next to her dad. Dallas thought about going to talk to Carley, but noticed that Lee is talking to her, so he decided he would go to the office, to figure out how he was going to get Larry's pills. Grasping the door handle, he swung the door open slowly, peeking inside the next room. He stepped in and began to have a look around, and the first thing he noticed was the blood smear in the middle of the floor. The closer he got, the more he began to realise how much blood there was, making it look like quite a few dead bodies were dragged along the floor. While he was examining the blood smear, Dallas heard a gasp behind him, and turned around to see Clementine standing at the door, staring at the blood on the floor.

"What are you doing in here?" Dallas asked, quickly stepping over to her and kneeling down in front of her.

"I wanted to help you," she answered quietly, looking up at him with her big brown eyes.

"Fine then, you can help me. Just be careful with what you touch," Dallas told her, standing back up. Her face lit up at this and she happily skipped to another part of the room, looking at the floor for anything that could be useful. Shaking his head at her, Dallas went back to searching the room himself, starting at the other door in the room. There was a bunch of junk that was blocking the door, Dallas noticed, as he stood in front of the door. Deciding he might as well get to work moving it out of the way, Dallas grabbed some sort of wooden tray that was resting at the front, knocking something onto the ground. He looked down to see what it was, and noted that is seemed to be a cane of some description.

"It was the shop owner's," Dallas heard a voice say, making him jump a little at the sudden noise. Looking at the door, he sees that it was Lee, who had entered the room unnoticed by either of the two occupants.

"Did you know him?" Dallas asked, once his heart rate had returned to its normal speed.

"Yeah, I was raised in Macon, so I would see him every day with this thing when I walked through town," Lee answered, walking over and picking up the cane. He started examining it, looking like he was testing whether it was still sturdy or not.

"Can I have a look?" Clementine asked, pointing at the cane.

"Of course you can," Lee smiled, handing her the cane. While she walked off to have her own examination of the cane, Dallas looked back at the door to see that the next obstacle in his path was in the form of a desk.

"Want to help me move it?" he asked Lee, moving to the far side of the desk.

"Sure," Lee answered, moving to the other side. The two began to shift the desk away from the door, sliding it over the hardwood floor. They remained in silence the entire time they were moving it, neither one feeling like talking. They soon had the desk up against the wall, out of the way of the door. Dallas tried the handle, but cursed when he found that it was locked.

"Great, now what?" he asked aloud, hoping someone would have an answer to this new problem. Before he could answer, something caught Lee's eye. He walked over to it, picking up an old picture. After looking at it longingly, he then tears it half, holding the smaller piece in his right hand. While he was doing this however, the door swung open, allowing Carley entrance into the room.

"What'd you guys find?" she asked, looking between Lee and Dallas, the latter noticing Lee drop the smaller half of the picture behind him.

"A picture. It's of the owners. Thought it could help find the keys to open the pharmacy door," Lee replied quickly. At his response, Carley walked up to Lee, looking him right in the eye.

"I know who you are," she said simply.

"What are you talking about?" Dallas asked, slightly confused by what she meant.

"His name is Lee Everett, a professor at Athens, who killed a State Senator who was sleeping with his wife. His family are the ones that owned this place. People around her know that the owner's son got a life sentence, but I'm a reported for WABE in Atlanta, I paid a lot of attention to that case," she told Dallas, shifting her attention to him.

"What are you trying to say?" he questioned, taking a step closer to her.

"What I'm trying to say is that Lee is a murderer. Although this may be the case, I don't really care. If I'm being frank, it's a skill that could come in handy," she stated, looking back to Lee.

"And you're saying all of this because…?" Dallas trailed off.

"Does anyone else know who you are, that you have ties to this place?" Carley asked Lee, ignoring Dallas' question.

"I wasn't planning on telling anyone," Lee deadpanned, his face neutral. She looked from Lee, to Dallas, and then back to Lee, her face unreadable.

"You seem to be an okay guy, and the last thing we need at the moment is to have any drama, especially after what happened. You have these two to think about after all. I don't want this have lasted another couple of days, and find out your presence is harmful to the group. If that were the case, we would have a problem," she told him, taking a step closer to him.

"I understand," Lee said, looking right into her eyes.

"Good. I'll keep it to myself for now then," she said, taking a step back.

"Thanks," Lee said, making Carley blush a little, before she turned around and left the office behind her. Lee turned around to look at Dallas, giving him a hard look.

"I won't tell anyone out either, don't worry," Dallas reassured him. After a swift nod, Lee followed Carley's lead, opening the door to exit the office, closing the door behind him. Moving back over to the locked door, Dallas examined it, trying to figure out a way he could open it without having to find the key. While he was doing this, he noticed that Clementine had come into his vision, leaning against the wall. Knowing there wasn't much he could do with the door, he walked over to her, leaning against the wall next to her.

"How are you doing?" he asked her, looking down.

"Fine," she replied. The two of them stood there in an awkward silence, neither one of them sure how to continue the conversation.

"What do think about all the new people in there?" Dallas asked, breaking the silence.

"Well, it's always nice to meet new people I guess. I don't like the sick guy though, he scares me," she answered, a frown creasing her face.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him, and I'm sure Kenny and Lee will as well. We won't let anything bad happen to you," he promised. With a small smile touching her lips, she wrapped her arms around his waist, giving him a quick hug. Just as she pulled away however, a low crackling noise could be heard. Clementine pulled out her walkie talkie from her pocket and they both heard a desperate voice come out.

"Hello? Is there anybody there?" It was Glenn. Clementine hands the walkie talkie over to Dallas, allowing him to press the button to reply to him.

"Dallas here," he said, hearing a sigh of relief on the other side.

"I'm kind of in a bind here. I'm stuck at that motor inn I was supposed to be searching," he said, his voice sounding a bit muffled.

"How'd you manage that?" Dallas asked, wondering how you get stuck looking for gas.

"I saw a chance to get some supplies for the group, but some of those things jumped me. Now, I can't go anywhere, because they won't leave," he explained, his voice becoming a whimper.

"Don't worry, we'll come out there to get you soon. Hand tight," Dallas told him, handing the walkie talkie back to Clementine, before opening the door and going back into the store.

"What's going on?" Kenny asked, as Dallas and Clementine closed the door behind them.

"Glenn's in a bit of a jam, I'm going to go out and help him," Dallas replied, seating Clementine on a nearby box, before turning around to go to the exit through the office.

"We'll go with you, there's safety in numbers," Lee said, Carley standing close behind, loading her gun.

"Let's get going then."

* * *

**Well... this is quite a long one again, isn't it? :P**

**We're moving along quite well I think, wouldn't you agree?**

**Coming up next, a very important step for Dallas...**

**See ya next time fellow fanfickers :D**


	9. Chapter 9 - Back into the Fray

After exiting the drugstore, the threesome, Carley, Lee and Dallas, made their way over to the motor inn, hoping to find Glenn and get out of there as soon as they could. It took them a while to get to their destination, but before long, they saw a big neon sign glowing brightly in the darkness, reading 'Travelier Motel' in big letters. Moving closer, the small group could see there were a few of those things roaming around the parking lot of the motel. They slowly moved up to a nearby wall, just as one of those things began turning towards them.

"Get down," Dallas whispered, making his companions duck behind the wall quickly. It soon walked away, and the threesome sighed in relief, and were able to get moving again, easily vaulting over the low wall. Right after Carley hit the ground, a nearby ice fridge door began to rattle. Lee motioned for Carley to get her gun out, while he and Dallas moved towards it. The two boys stood on either side of the doors, as Carley waited for the signal from Lee to get ready to shoot. Before any of them could do anything however, the door was thrown open and Glenn stuck his head out, smiling at them.

"Thank god you guys are here," he exclaimed, jumping out of the freezer. The group moved back over to the wall and jumped over, ducking low and turning to face each other.

"Now that we found you, can we please get going back to the drugstore before one of those things see us?" Carley asked, started to move away.

"Wait, we can't leave yet. There's someone trapped up there," Glenn told them, pointing up to the second story of the motel.

"You can't be serious," Dallas said, glancing at the large amount of those things dragging their feet on the asphalt.

"Dallas is right. We have to leave. Now," Carley warned, grabbing Glenn by the sleeve of this shirt. He pulled away from her and shook his head, pointing back up to the second story.

"We have to help her. I was trying to do it myself before. You know, by talking to her and saying that I would be able to get her to safety, but she got frightened. When I tried opening her door, she started screaming, telling me I was bitten or something. I was trying to convince her I wasn't, but those things you see over there came out of nowhere and interrupted me. I barely escaped from one of them by hiding in the freezer," he told them.

"Lucky you. Now let's get out of here before we get seen," Carley advised, going to grab Glenn's sleeve again.

"We can't just leave her here to die," Glenn snapped, moving his arm away before she could grab it.

"Damn right we can't," Lee said, moving away from us to go to the edge of the wall. Dallas quickly followed behind him, and Glenn wasn't far behind.

"You guys are suicidal, over one girl," Carley growled, shuffling after them.

"Well we're saving her, with or without your help," Glenn told her, kneeling beside Lee. Carley looked to Dallas for support, but all he could do was shrug. She groaned and moved over to kneel beside Glenn, keeping her gun at the ready. Lee quickly moved over to the next wall, and the rest of the group quickly followed, just making it to the other side before one of those things turned around.

"Ok guys, here's the plan. We have no idea how hard it is going to be to get up there to save that girl, so we have no choice but to kill all of those things before we can help," Lee told them quietly. Dallas peeked over the wall again, counting at least six or seven of those things roaming around. He heard Carley load her gun nervously, and he came back down, shaking his head at her.

"We can't use a gun, or we will attract all of them to us in seconds. We'll need to figure out a way to get rid of them quietly," Dallas told her. She nodded her head, but still kept her gun in hand. Lee looked around the area himself, trying to figure what their next course of action should be. Once he had had his own thorough scan of the area, he came back down and looked at each of his companions in turn.

"Glenn and Dallas, you two go and see if there are any more of those things behind the RV over there, and pick up anything that may be useful. Carley, you and I will go and check out that truck over there," Lee told them, taking command of the situation. His three friends nodded when they were each given their order, moving off to do their assigned jobs. Glenn and Dallas moved over to the far side of the wall and peeked around the edge, seeing what was waiting for them. Dallas noticed a pillow case nearby and picked it up, an idea beginning to formulate in his head.

"Great, you can smother them to death," Glenn sarcastically, running over to the RV, with Dallas close behind. They looked around the side of the RV and spotted another one of those things just standing there, staring into space. The two of them quickly made their way back over to the wall, and began making their way towards Carley and Lee, who looked like they were discussing something. Once Dallas was close enough, he pulled out the pillow case, holding it up for the group to see.

"I have an idea. Carley, come with me," he said, turning around and going back the way he had come, this time with Carley in tow. They over to one of those things who was sitting sown and leaning against a car. Dallas quickly pushed the pillow case over its face, gesturing for Carley to shoot it. It finally dawned on her what he was doing, and he shot the thing through the pillow case, muffling the sound.

"Good thinking Dallas," he heard Lee say behind him, as he and Glenn came over to join Dallas and Carley by the car.

"Thanks." Dallas moved over to the car door and quietly pulled it open, looking inside to see what he could find. He noticed something sitting on the seat and picked up, examining it closely.

"That's a sparkplug. You should keep it, it might come in handy," Glenn pointed out. Dallas pocketed the spark plug and continued searching the car, but came up empty. He looked out the back window and saw that one of those things was directly in the path of the car. He looked around to find something in the car and spotted it, shifting the gear handle. He got out of the car and closed the door, standing up to grip the car. Lee noticed what he was doing and moved to the front, helping to push the car. They quickly moved back over to the pickup truck, before the car collided with the thing that they were aiming for.

"There's something we can use in the truck, but the door is locked. We need to try and smash it without making too much noise," Lee told Dallas, moving closer to the window.

"It's my idea for an idea. Dallas, can I see that sparkplug quickly?" Glenn asked. Dallas nodded his head, pulling out the sparkplug and handed it to Glenn . He fiddled around with it and suddenly dropped it to the floor, smashing it underneath his foot.

"Why'd you do that?" Dallas scolded, looking down at the wrecked remains of the spark plug.

"The porcelain in these things turns car windows into tissue paper," Glenn told him, picking up a small piece of the wreckage and handing it to him. Wondering how something so small could do any damage, Dallas stood up, brought his arm back and ditched the porcelain at the window, easily smashing it while making barely any sound. He reached into the truck and picked up what kind of had the shape of a screwdriver, and came back out, holding his new weapon in front of him.

"That could do some damage," Glenn grinned. They all ran back over to the other wall from before and move down to the far side. Dallas quickly ran over to the RV and put his back up against it, breathing with the anticipation of what he was about to do. Seeing a stone near his foot, he picked it up and dropped it next to him as heavily as he could, grabbing the attention of the thing nearby. He could hear it start shuffling towards him, moving closer and closer, until it was right next to him. When it looked like it was about to reach out and grab him, Dallas lunged forward, weapon in hand, and plunged it into the thing's head, stabbing it multiple times. It fell to the ground in a heap, now a non-moving, lifeless mass. Before Dallas had a chance to catch his breath, he heard a piece of wood smash something, and turned around to see Glenn fighting off another one of those things. Dallas quickly moved over to them and stabbed the thing right through the eye, killing it instantly.

"Thanks for watching my back," Dallas said, waiting for his heart rate to slow down.

"No problem." The group moved towards the car that they had pushed before, and see that the thing they had trapped before was still there, trying to squirm its way free. Right next to it, Dallas notices a fire axe, which Lee makes a grab for, before the thing tried to grab out at Lee, blocking the axe. Dallas strides over to the thing stuck against the wall, and stabs it right in the eye, lodging his weapon right into its head.

"That was so cool," Glenn praised, patting Dallas on the back. Lee picked up the fire axe and began walking to the nearby set of stairs, turning back to face the group.

"Wait down here, I'm going up to finish off those things," he told them, turning back around and heading up the stairs. Dallas slowly followed behind him, Carley and Glenn mirroring his steps, just in case something went wrong. When they made it to the top of the stairs, they saw Lee already swinging the axe into the side of the closet one of those things, already moving onto the next one. It lunged right at him, its snarling echoing across the empty parking lot, but Lee sidestepped it, causing it to fall over. He brought the axe above his and swung it down, like an executioner killing his criminal. Dallas, Glenn and Carley all quickly moved over to Lee, joining him by the door as he started knocking.

"Please just go away!" Dallas heard a woman cry from the other side of the door.

"We just want to help you," he called through the door, trying to reassure her. When no reply came after a few seconds, Carley turned around in a huff, moving towards the stairs.

"Wait," Lee said, making Carley turn back around to stare at him. Dallas tried knocking on the door himself, trying to get the woman to answer.

"If you open up, we can get you out of here, to someplace safe. We have our own group back in town, we could take you there, get you some help," he tried. The woman began to whimper, repeatedly saying 'no' over and over again.

"Miss, we're coming in," Le called, getting his axe ready. He hefted it over his head and easily split the plank over the door in two, allowing easier access to the room. Next, he goes to try and kick the door down, but stops when he sees the door has opened a crack.

"Stop. Please, just stop. I'm coming out," she said, barely above a whisper. She swung the door open and exited her room, looking at each of them in turn. Dallas looked at her himself, and noticed that her side was bleeding out, the blood looking fresh.

"You're hurt," Dallas said, moving towards her.

"I told you to stay away," she snapped, backing away from him.

"We need to go and get you help," Glenn exclaimed, trying himself to get closer to her.

"I don't want any help. It's too late for me," she said, sounding defeated.

"Guys, she's been bitten," Carly said, pointing towards the woman's open wound. Upon closer inspection, Dallas realise with horror that Carley is right.

"I told you to go away. I'm bit. But you just wouldn't listen," she sobbed, putting her head in her hands.

"Let's all just calm down, you could be fine, you don't know," Lee assured her, leaning the axe against the wall.

"No, I won't be fine. The same thing happened to my boyfriend. You get sick, then you die, then you come back as one of those things and then you kill anything in sight," she explained, dread filling her voice by the second. "Please just leave, just go away."

"We will leave you in peace. Let's go guys," Lee said, picking his axe back up and gesturing to the stairs. Before the group got very far however, they hear the soft thud of footsteps following them.

"You have a gun?" The woman seemed to have noticed Carley's gun, now staring at it longingly.

"Yeah, so what?" Carley inquired, backing away towards the steps.

"Can I borrow it? I just want to end this quickly, so I don't hurt anyone. So may I?" the woman asked, taking a step towards Carley.

"Hold on a minute-" Lee began to say, before the woman stamped her foot on the ground.

"Please! I just want to end it okay? I can't be one of them. They're…satanic." No one seemed sure what they should do. Dallas looked around at the faces of all of his new friends, all of them coming up blank. Knowing that something had to be done, he stepped up to Carley.

"I'll do it," he said, bringing all attention to him.

"Are you sure?" Carley asked, as Dallas took the gun from her hands.

"I'm sure. You guys get going, I'll catch up with you," he said, moving towards the woman. Everyone looked at each other before walking away, making their way down the stairs.

"Thank you so much," the woman said, closing her eyes as Dallas brought the gun to be level with her head.

"God bless," he said, closing his own eyes.

* * *

**I always found this part in the episode to be the most confronting, so I hope it sounds okay.**

**Anyway, hopefully this was a good episode, next up, the climax of the episode D:**

**Hope y'all are ready for some action and tough choices, because that is where we will be, the next time I see you.**

**Until then fellow fanfickers :D**


	10. Chapter 10 - The Great Escape

Upon returning to the drugstore, Lee made a beeline for Doug, the two of them quietly talking before going out the entrance, closing the door quietly behind them. Deciding that there must be a good reason for them going out there. Dallas looked around for Clementine, but was blind sighted when she found him first, wrapping her arms around him in a tight squeeze. He put his own arms around her, happy to have some sort of human contact.

"Are you okay?" she asked after she pulled away.

"I'm fine Clem, don't worry. How's everyone else doing?" he asked her, as they walked over to her assigned seating.

"They're fine as well. They were mostly worried that you guys might not come back. But you're here now, so it's all good again," Clementine replied, sitting down. Dallas was just about to continue a conversation with her, when he was tapped on the shoulder by Carley, who was gesturing for him to follow her. He followed her away from Clementine, over to the corner that Doug had previously occupied before he went outside with Lee.

"What's up?" Dallas asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I need to know your thoughts on what you learnt about Lee before," she said, surprising Dallas.

"Why do you need to know that?" he questioned, pulling his hands out of his pockets and crossing them over his chest.

"I want to know what your intentions are. Are you going to use it against him? Are you going to try and avoid him? That sort of thing," she answered, crossing her own arms.

"If you're asking if I plan to be an asshole like Larry and blackmail Lee, I would never do that. He saved Clementine and I. He's been nothing but nice to everyone, and he's only angry when he is protecting others. I haven't got a reason to want to hurt him, so you don't have to worry about it," he told her, patting her on the shoulder.

"Okay, good. That's good. There was one last thing I wanted to ask," she said, just as the door opened. Lee and Doug stepped through, making their way over to the office door.

"And that is?" Lee and Doug began quietly talking to Lilly, who seemed to be quite relieved.

"How did you do it? How were you able to take the bullet, so to speak, when it came to relieving that woman's pain?" she asked him. Lee, Doug and Lilly walked into the office, leaving the door wide open as they went in.

"My girlfriend, Sandra, became one of those things. I had to kill her, bash her head in. I guess, by being able to help her, I made up for not being able to help Sandra. I think I was able to take away some of the blame," he answered, a single tear sliding down his face.

"I didn't know that-" Carley began to say, before time seemed to slow. The tear sliding down Dallas' cheek finally fell off of his face, dropping down to the ground in slow motion. As soon as the tear drop impacted with the ground, an alarm began blaring, and everything suddenly sped up again.

"What in the hell is going on?" Kenny exclaimed, moving towards the office. Lee, Lilly and Doug all raced out of the office, Lilly moving to her father to give him the meds they were searching for.

"When we opened the door, the alarm started going off. We need to get out of here, before those things try to get in," Lee announced. As if on cue, loud groaning could be heard outside, which was soon followed by harsh banging at the windows and door.

"Okay everyone, we need to get out of here fast. Kat, take Duck and get him outside. Carley, Glenn and Doug, all of you get over to that door; make sure none of those things get inside. Lee, you're with me. We're going to started escorting people out of here. Let's get moving people." After Kenny had given out his orders, everyone scrambled to follow them, moving off to different positions in the store. Glenn, Carley and Doug were already at the door, stopping those things from getting inside.

"What should I do?" Clementine asked Dallas, who was trying to figure what to do himself.

"Just stick close to me for now. When Kenny and Lee get back, you can go with them to get to safety," he told her, as screams could be heard out the back.

"Glenn, we need you," Dallas heard Katjaa call. In response, he ran over to the entrance, moving Glenn out of the way so that he could go and help Katjaa. Dallas put his back against the door, pushing as hard as he could against the things that were banging outside.

"Dallas, if we don't make it through this, I just want you to know, you and Lee, you're good guys," Doug said, just as the door was pushed open a crack. Dallas turned around and began shoving the door closed; making sure none of those things could get in. Once the door was closed again, Dallas turned to Doug, and exasperated look on his face.

"We're going to make it through this Doug, don't talk like that," Dallas told him, putting a little more force into his pushing.

"Doug, if we don't make it through this, you should know-" Carley began to say, before the things banging on the door pushed their way in again. Dallas and the others had a bit of a harder time pushing the door closed, but after half a minute, they managed to push it closed again.

"What were you saying?" Doug asked Carley, looking into her eyes.

"What?" Carley asked back, just as some of those things managed to bust through a window.

"Shit," Dallas exclaimed, feeling the pressure on the door get worse. Carley pulled out her gun and began firing at the things that had gotten into the store, moving away from the store. A nearby shelf was knocked not long after Carley walked away, allowing more of those things to get inside.

"I'll go try and block those things out," Doug told Dallas, moving away from the door, which opened up again, being shoved open with more force than ever.

"Can I help?" Clementine asked frantically.

"Find me something to block this door with, quickly," he told her, pushing as hard as he could against the door, while trying to avoid the gnawing teeth of the heads trying to get through the door. Clementine ran off to the office, looking like she might have an idea. After a lot of effort, the door was closed once more, just as Clementine ran back over to Dallas, holding the owner's cane in hand. Snatching it out of Clementine's hands, Dallas shoved it into the doors handles, finally being able to move away from the door to have a rest. He had barely caught his breath, before two there were to screams that filled the store in unison, coming from different directions. Looking to his left, he saw that Doug had been grabbed by a few of those things, slowly getting pulled towards the window that he was trying to protect. To his right, Carley had run out of ammo and was reaching for her handbag, while one of those things was attached to her leg. Time seemed to freeze, as Dallas looked between his two friends, not knowing where to look. He came to a decision and ran towards Carley's bag, pulling her ammo out and throwing it to her. She put it into her gun just in time, allowing her to shoot one of the things that were just about to reach her. Once she had shot the one that was attached to her leg, both her and Dallas heard Doug scream, and turned around to see him get dragged out of the window. A look of horror came to Carley's face, as she stepped backwards, shocked at what she had seen.

"Let's get out of here," Dallas shouted, grabbing Clementine by the hand and running towards the office, closely being followed by Carley, who was shooting at anything that followed them. They ran into the office out of the exit, to be greeted by Lee and Kenny, who were patiently waiting for them. Making sure that everyone was safe, they ran away together, the blaring of the alarm becoming duller as they moved further away.

* * *

**...well that was thrilling...**

**Yes, I chose Carley, because she is awesome with her gun and stuff, and I always thought that she and Lee could end up together in the end. I would've save both, there was that possibility, but you all know he probably would've died later anyway, so there was no point in delaying the inevitable :P**

**In the next chapter, I tried to change the dialogue a little, so that you didn't feel like you were just reading about the game, with added dialogue.**

**Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, and are ready for the final chapter of Episode One.**

**Which I will be posting very soon, so you guys don't have to wait :P**

**Be back soon fellow fanfickers :D**


	11. Chapter 11 - A Glimmer of Hope

The motor inn looked the same to Dallas. Yes, there were now people occupying it, moving things around, filling it with noise and life. Looking around, he noticed everyone doing their own little tasks, or just talking. Life was going on as usual, with a slightly sombre tone holding a veil over the group. In his eyes , it will always be the place that he felt he had been redeemed for Sandra's death. Redeemed for not being able to save her life. Now, he was responsible for another's death. Doug. He had to make a split second decision, and had chosen to save Carley over Doug, feeling like the two of them were more connected in some way. Deciding it wasn't doing him any good thinking about it, he walked towards Glenn, who was listening to a radio intently, leaning his arm on the open car door. Dallas went to say something, but Glenn held up his hand as the radio started to say something of interest. Dallas didn't quite understand what was being said, but Glenn seemed to, nodding his head every time a new city was announced.

"You're leaving aren't you?" Dallas asked once the report had finished.

"I have family up there, I need to go make sure they are alright," Glenn replied, giving him a grim smile.

"Are you going to be okay by yourself?" Dallas questioned, stepping around to face Glenn.

"I should be fine, it's been that way for a while now. Anyway, I'm going to get going now. Good luck," Glenn said, taking Dallas' hand and shaking it heartily. Dallas returned it, pulling Glenn into a 'bro' hug, before Glenn turned around and got into the car, closing the door and driving away, his lights disappearing into the distance. The next people that were closest to Dallas were Kenny and Katjaa, who were standing near their truck, which they had used to escape those things back in town. Dallas walked up them, and when Kenny noticed him approaching, he turned around, giving Dallas a big smile.

"I'm glad we all made it out of there. Any longer, and we all would've been eaten alive by those things," Kenny said, patting Dallas on the back. When Dallas didn't answer straight away, Katjaa moved forward and pulled him into a motherly hug, comfortingly rubbing his back.

"You can't blame yourself, remember that," she told him, pulling away and leaning on her husband.

"You son, you can't let it get to you. You may not have been able to save Doug, but you saved Carley. That has to count for something right?" Dallas moved his head up from the ground and gave the couple a sad smile, appreciating their efforts.

"I guess so. Thanks for trying to cheer me up," Dallas told them.

"Of course, anything for a friend. Now, we just want you to know, if you ever need any help with Clementine, we will be happy to help you," Kenny said, wrapping his arm around Katjaa's shoulders.

"I think I should be okay, but thanks for the offer. I'm going to keep moving around to check on everyone," Dallas said, shaking Kenny's hand and nodding to Katjaa, before walking off towards Carley, who was fiddling around with her gun at a nearby table. When she heard him approaching, she put her gun down and turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. The two of them just stood there for a while, just staring at each other, not sure what to say.

"Thank you," Carley said, breaking the awkward silence.

"No problem." Dallas leant on the table and looked up at the stars, trying to figure out how he could explain why he had done what he did.

"How did you choose? You had to choose save one of us, but you chose me. As much as I think you shouldn't have had to choose, you were given that split second to let one person die, so that another could live. How?" Carley said, her questions coming out slowly like she were thinking of them on the spot.

"I guess, you don't really know why you make the decisions you do in the moment. Letting either of you die was going to be horrible, I knew the instant before that only one was coming out of this with me. In that moment, I chose the one I thought I knew better, the one I thought I might have more of a chance to get to know," he told her, still gazing up at the stars in the sky, trying to spot any constellations that he knew.

"But he was a guy. Aren't guys meant to be able to bond with other guys?" Carley asked, standing next to him and looking up at the sky herself. Dallas couldn't help but laugh at her comment, finally moving his gaze away from the sky to look at her.

"Guys and girls can make bonds just as easily as two guys. You might just have to work a little harder at it. And who knows, that kind of a relationship may lead to something more," Dallas said, nudging her in the side, nodding in the direction he had just come from. Carley looked where he had told her to and saw Lee talking to Kenny, the two of them laughing over a joke one of them must've just told. Carley turned her head away quickly, but not fast enough for Dallas to see the blush on her face, which meant his plan had worked.

"I don't know what you mean," she said, tucking some stray hair behind her ear.

"Sure you don't. Just remember, take every opportunity as it comes. Take every moment and make it something to remember, and this whole shit storm won't be so bad he told her," Dallas told her, standing up and walking away. When he turned around to see her reaction, he saw that she had gone back to examining her gun, but she had a small smile on her face, brightening up her face a little.

"…and then, I could take a rocket up to the moon! I bet I could meet aliens or something up there," Dallas heard Duck say, as he walked over to talk to Clementine.

"Hey Duck, could you give us a couple of minutes?" he asked, standing in the middle of the two children.

"Sure," he said happily, running over to his parents. Dallas moved over to stand beside Clementine, leaning against the RV the same way she was.

"How are you doing?" he asked, looking down at her.

"When we were getting out of there, I dropped my walkie talkie, and it broke. It was all I had left of my mum and dad, and now it's broken," Clementine replied, tears starting to fall from her eyes. Dallas stood up from the RV and knelt down in front of her, pulling her into a quick hug.

"I'll find a way to fix it for you okay? Don't worry," he told her, giving her a smile. She tried returning the smile he had on his face, her big brown eyes still glistening with tears.

"Okay. Thank you Dallas," she said. Dallas gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, standing up when he saw Lee walking over. When he realised that Lee wasn't walking towards him, Dallas turned around to see Larry standing nearby, waiting for Lee to get closer.

"Stay away from my daughter," Larry threatened as soon as Lee was standing in front of him, crossing those massive arms over each other.

"I'll do what I want," Lee retorted, crossing his own arms.

"Listen you little fuck, I want you to stay away from her, or I will be telling all of these people your dirty little secret. Will they all like you so much if they knew the truth about you?" Larry snarled, stepping towards Lee, who had a blank face. When Lee didn't look like he knew how to reply, Dallas walked over to them, standing beside him.

"I know about his, 'dirty little secret' and I couldn't care less. It doesn't matter who we were before shit hit the fan. All that matters is the kind of people we can choose to become." As soon as the words left Dallas' lips, Larry turned his glare to him, moving almost face to face with him.

"And who asked you?" he growled, his breath making Dallas want to wretch.

"No one needed to. When you threaten my friends, I make it my business to help. That's just the way I work. So, what were you saying again?" Dallas asked sarcastically, smirking at Larry.

"Watch yourselves, making an enemy of me is not a good idea in the slightest," he warned, before walking away from them.

"Thanks for having my back," Lee said, shaking Dallas' hand.

"Anything for a friend," Dallas told him with a smile. Before either had the chance to leave or continue a conversation, Lilly walked over to them, a wide grin on her face.

"You guys have a second to talk?" Lilly asked, stepping up to the pair. Lee stole a quick glance at Larry nearby, who curled up his lip into a snarl.

"Sure," Dallas said, nudging Lee in the side, making him focus his attention.

"My dad would be dead without your help guys," she said. Dallas bowed his head down, staring at his dirty converses.

"Doug is dead because of me, some help I was," he said, refusing to look back up.

"You can't be like that Dallas. You're only one guy. So, stop wallowing in self-pity. We need everyone in tip top shape," Lilly said. Dallas pulled his head back up and gave her a smile.

"Exactly, you're a good guy, you tried your best," Lee agreed, patting Dallas on the back.

"Thanks guys." Their conversation was cut off by distant bombing, making everyone stop what they were doing.

"Hopefully that's the sound of us winning this thing," Kenny said, moving towards, Lilly, Dallas and Lee.

"Here's to hoping," Dallas agreed, slipping his hands in to his pockets to keep them warm.

"This place is pretty damn defendable. If we block of any entrances with some cars and one of us stays on watch, we could stay here until the military rolls through," Kenny said, scanning the motor inn.

"I actually agree with that plan," Lilly said, walking with the others over to the entrance of the motor inn. Everyone else voiced their agreement, looking around at their new home.

"We have beds, we have food and water, and we even have light. There are definitely worse places to call home," Kenny said, looking out into the forest.

"You know what guys? I think everything is going to be okay." As if on cue, the lights started to go out all of the motor inn, putting the group into total darkness.

* * *

**And that is the end of Episode one everyone. **

**I hope you have enjoyed yourselves so far, just as much as I enjoyed writing this chapter ^_^**

**Coming up soon, is the Episode 2 Chapters! **

**Something I have been forgetting to do, a big big thanks to heidipoo for being my beta-reader, and doing such a good job in looking over my work to make sure I correct any mistakes.**

**Farewell for now fellow fanfickers, hope to see you all soon :D**

**P.S. The have really enjoyed writing the episode 2 chapters, just so you all know :3**


	12. Chapter 12 - A Dire Situation

Three months. That is how long it had been since Dallas and his new friends had escaped Macon, had escaped the walkers, as they had come to be called. Three months, since Dallas had to leave his life behind, kill his girlfriend, take on caring a young girl full time and live with people that he hasn't known for all that long. Three months…and they were starved for help. When their time at the motor inn had begun, everything seemed like it would turn out for the best. They had a place to stay, to call home. They were able to make quick supply runs whenever they needed to. They had electricity to last, making sure that they could see where they were stepping, without taking a fall. Now, all of that initial hope had petered out, leaving a bland taste in everyone's mouths. The food had slowly begun to run out over the weeks, only small rations being available to select people each day, leaving everyone else with an empty stomach. It hadn't taken long for the electricity to run out, or get cut, whichever it was, and they were left in darkness at night time, forcing them to take to their assigned rooms scattered throughout the motor inn. Since arriving at the motor inn, the group had managed to find some large planks of wood to use, which have helped to fortify the walls, making sure no walkers are able to enter our home and kill us in our sleep. Of course, there are always people on watch during the day, so if there were to be an attack, everyone would be ready at a moment's notice to hide from danger, holding their weapons at the ready. As the weeks moved by, the group started becoming more and more desperate, leaving them hoping for some sort of miracle to come. This sort of miracle came in the form of a truck and it's driver, Mark. Inside the truck, was enough food to last us a couple of months, enough to keep us well fed, while we tried to survive this apocalypse. Then, yet again, the group's hope was ripped from their grasp, leaving them cold and hungry once more. Now here Dallas was, along with Mark, out in the woods with a rifle, searching for the group's next meal. Kenny was moving around with Lee somewhere else in the woods, hopefully having more luck than he currently was. Up ahead, the pair saw a figure crouched over something, positioning itself on the other side of some thick shrubbery. Dallas slowly crept forward, trying his best not to make a sound. He swung his rifle over his shoulder and pulled out his hunting knife, readying it in his right hand. The bushes rustled slightly as he made his way through, making any animals nearby scatter. He was soon right behind the figure, raising his knife above his head. With one quick motion, he brought the knife down into the figure's head, killing it on impact. Mark came up behind him and shoved the walker off of what it was lying on top of, and groaned when he saw that it had been eating a live rabbit.

"Lost another one to those bastards. At this rate, we're never going to find any food," Mark exclaimed, scanning the area for any other walkers that might be close.

"We just have to keep looking. If we don't find anything, Lilly will more than likely have our heads," Dallas told him, stepping over the bloody entrails of the dead animal and continuing on through the forest, keeping a close watch at his surroundings through the corner of his eye as he swung his rifle back over his shoulder into his hands. The pair continued along through the forest, glancing at the immediate area, which included the forest floor and up in the trees.

"So, what's been the deal between you and Lee with Larry lately? You guys all seem so hostile towards each other," Mark commented, walking alongside Dallas.

"Let's just say we are having a little disagreement at the moment," Dallas told him, poking a nearby bush with his gun as he walked.

"Surely there must be a reason that he always seems so pissed at you guys?" Mark questioned, kicking a rock that sat on his path.

"He's just an asshole. Plain and simple," Dallas said, making a right turn, moving into a different part of the forest.

"Good enough reason as any I suppose," Mark laughed. He cut his laughing short as he stopped walking, staring up at the trees. Noticing that he had stopped, Dallas stopped as well, following his gaze up into the high branches. Not ten metres away, just casually perched on one of the larger branches was a crow, which was currently nibbling at something on its back. Mark quickly moved over to one of the bushes close by and crouched behind it, aiming his gun at the bird.

"You're seriously thinking of killing it are you?" Dallas asked, as he ran over to join him

"We need to bring something back, this might be the only opportunity we get," Mark said, steadying his gun the best he could.

"Guess you better take it then," Dallas said, looking up at the poor creature. Although he felt sorry that they had to kill it, he knew life was all about survival now, which meant that they need to take any chance they could for food. Mark's finger reached for the trigger, ready to shoot the bird, when a scream split the air, making the bird fly away. The two boys looked at each other and began running in the direction of the screaming, trying to keep pace with each other.

"You don't think it could be Lee or Kenny do you?" Mark shouted, jumping over a bush.

"I really hope not." It didn't take long before the two of them entered into a clearing, to see a pair of boys huddled around something on the ground.

"What do you think you boys are doing?" Mark asked, walking towards them slowly. They must've been startled by the sudden noise, turning around with frightened looks on their faces. As they turned around, they revealed what they were huddled around, what the source of the scream was. A man had stepped into a bear, managing to get his foot clamped tight.

"Shit," Dallas breathed, stopping in his tracks.

"Please, you have to help him, we can't let him die," one of the boys said, a slight stutter entering his voice.

"Shut up Ben, they could be with them," the other boy snapped, stepping in front of him. "Please just keep walking, we don't mean you any harm."

"We can't just leave you boys like this," Mark said, moving towards the pair with a faster pace.

"Why can't we just let them help Travis?" the boy named Ben asked pleadingly.

"Because they could-" the boy called Travis began to say, just as Lee and Kenny came running out of the woods.

"What in the hell is going on? There are walkers swarming in on this place we have to go," Kenny exclaimed, moving towards his friends, while staring at the new faces cautiously. Lee followed behind him, noticing the man trapped by the trap.

"We can't. We have to help this man," Mark said, moving over to the trap to see if he could find some sort of release.

"We don't have time, we have to go," Kenny hissed, moving to grab Mark. Lee grabbed him by the shoulder before he could move, motioning to one of the trees nearby. Everyone looked in that direction, all of them releasing gasps of shock in unison. A small group of walkers were emerging from the forest, more and more shuffling out by the second.

"Dallas, help me!" Mark yelled. Dallas ran over to him and crouched down next to him, trying to figure out a way they could save the man.

"Please! Please help me," the man begged trying to pull his leg out of the chain. Dallas began looking around for a way to help, hoping to find a latch to open the trap, or something to break the chain. Soon, his eyes rested on Lee's axe, which he had in his hands, ready to fight off any walkers that got to close.

"I'm sorry for what I am about to do," Dallas whispered into the man's ear, as he ran over to Lee and snatched the axe out of his hand, moving back to the trapped man.

"What are you doing? What are you going to do with that thing?" he asked, looking like he already knew the answer. Without saying a word, Dallas brought the axe above his head and swung it down, causing it to impact with the man's leg.

"Shit!" Mark exclaimed, scrambling to his feet and pulling his rifle out, shooting a nearby walker.

"Stop! Please don't do that again, please!" the man pleaded, staring at the giant chunk that had been taken out of his leg.

"I'm sorry," Dallas said again, bringing the axe up and bringing it down again, causing the man to start screaming again.

"Stop, you're hurting him!" Ben begged, grabbing Dallas by the shoulders, trying to pull him away from the screaming man.

"I'm sorry," was all Dallas could say, as he brought the axe high above his head, and brought it down one last time, managing to hack the man's leg off, causing him to cry out in pain, screaming bloody murder.

"Oh god, oh god oh god," Travis said, stepping away from the scene.

"Let's go!" Lee shouted, hefting one of the man's arms over his shoulders as Mark did the same, running in the direction of the motor inn. Dallas, Kenny and Ben were close behind, not wanting to split the group up. They heard a scream behind them, and turned around just in time to see Travis be devoured by the walkers encroaching on their space, ripping large pieces of flesh from his body.

"NO!" Ben screamed, running to go save his friend, but Kenny and Dallas grabbed him by the arms and dragged him away. The group kept on running as fast as their legs could carry them. The only sound to be heard was the crunch of leaves underfoot, and the dying screams of a teenage boy being torn apart, no one being able to save him from his inevitable fate.

* * *

**Here we are. Episode 2. The opening may not be that different, but at least the dialogue has changed a little ^_^**

**As the chapters go by, I'm sure you will start to notices some changes... Some will be very hard to miss :P**

**Anyway, thank you to those who have reviewed, you have made my writing very enjoyable for me, you make me feel good about it all :3 (cough_Tactus501st_cough, cough_heidipoo_cough), you are both awesome ^_^**

**Hopefully there will be more in the future /hint hint/, but I will keep on uploading nonetheless, because this is the best place for fanficiton :)**

**The next chapter shall be up tomorrow (hopefully), meanwhile, I have a Maths Exam to prepare for -.-**

**Wish me luck, bye for now fellow fanfickers :D**


	13. Chapter 13 - More Mouths to Feed

_Bang!_

Another boring day in the motor inn. Everyone was just sitting around doing one thing or the other, trying to pass the time. Lilly was up on top of the RV, keeping a close eye over our camp, Katjaa was watching over Duck as he cheerfully drew picture with some crayons that had been found in a supply run, not having a care in the world. Larry was working on the wall nearby, hammering some planks of wood together to make the wall a little higher. Then there was Clementine, who had managed to find a soccer ball, and was continuously kicking it into an empty metal barrel. She had to do something while she waited for Dallas to get back from one of his hunting trips. They had started to become much closer over the past three months, the two of them being thick as thieves. Clementine smiled at one of the more recent pranks they had pulled on Larry, where they had poured cold water onto his head from the second story of the motor inn. He was so furious that he almost went to hit Dallas, but realised that Clementine was right next to him, so he decided to leave it. Unfortunately, Lilly began to tell them off for wasting water, that they needed every drop they could. Dallas took the blame for their little escapade, letting Clementine Lilly's shouting fit, which also meant that Dallas had been stuck on watch duty for two weeks to make up for it, but he stilled laughed every time Larry walked past him. Even though she had looked up to him before the walkers happened, when he was just her babysitter, Clementine looked up to him even more now, thinking of him more like a big brother, rather than just the guy that was taking her of her. To her, he was the only family that she had at the moment. Then of course, there was Lee. Her connection with Dallas may have been stronger than with Lee, but she still liked him at least, feeling he would be the next person she would trust. He seemed to be quite protective of Dallas and Clementine, always defending them whenever Lilly or Larry tried to have a go at them. She didn't quite understand why, but she was happy nonetheless. Although she was happy most of the people, she wasn't happy with the situation. She didn't like seeing everyone starving and angry all the time, and since the first usually caused the other, she was happy whenever food turned up to cool things off a bit. So hopefully, when Dallas and the rest came back, they would have food with them, so everyone would be happy again. Finally, she had lost her hat. Apart from her broken walkie talkie, that hat was all she had left of her parents, of her father. Without it, she felt like she had lost her parents for good, that she might never see them again. If she never saw them again, would she be okay with Dallas taking care of her instead? Would she be okay with losing her parents, but being able to stay with him? Clementine was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard Lilly let out a sharp whistle, which meant that something was approaching. Clementine dropped down low and ran over to the barrel, crouching down behind it. Katjaa pulled Duck behind Kenny's truck, holding him as close to her chest as she could. Larry put his back against the wall that he had just been fixing up. Clementine looked up at Lilly to wait and see what her next order would be.

"Open up, we have wounded!" shouted a familiar voice, making Lilly curse under her breath. Clementine jumped up from her spot on the ground, excited that Dallas and Lee were back, but worried about who could be hurt. Lilly jumped down from the RV and walked over to the gate, as it was pushed open by Kenny and Dallas, allowing Mark and Lee to enter, man's arms over each of their shoulders. They dropped him onto the back of the truck and stood back, panting a little after the strength they would've needed to carry that man. There was also another boy that Clementine hadn't seen before, who had a very worried look, staring at the wounded man lying down in the back of the truck.

"What is this Kenny?" Katjaa exclaimed, staring in shock at the stump that used to be the man's leg.

"Can you fix him up?" Kenny asked desperately.

"I can try, but he has lost so much blood, I don't know," Katjaa replied, examining the man closer. While she and Kenny looked at the wounded man, Lilly stalked right up to Lee, a glare on her face.

"Dallas, are you okay?" Clementine asked, running right into his arms.

"I'm fine, don't worry," he told her, looking over at the wounded man with worry in his eyes.

"Lee, what the hell is this?" she barked, motioning to the man on the back of the truck.

"He was wounded Lilly, we couldn't just leave him out there," Lee told her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We have enough people here without having to worry about one wounded man and another teenager," she snapped, poking him in the chest.

"Don't blame him, it was my idea to help him," Dallas cut in, standing beside Lee. Lilly turned her glare on Dallas, her chest moving up and down quite quickly.

"Of course, why wouldn't it be you? Always the nice one, always the one that has to help every pour soul that comes by," Lilly snarled, stepping towards Dallas threateningly.

"I had to help him. If we don't help those in need, then we are no better than common criminals. This world may be all about survival of the fittest now, but that doesn't mean we can't show a little bit of human compassion," he bit back, not backing down from Lilly's glare.

"Human compassion will get a person killed! How can you not understand that? We have to take care of the people here and now, not worry about some bottom feeders that don't even have anything to offer us," Lilly shouted, staring at the new face. Knowing that he would get pulled into the argument if she didn't do something, she walked over to the new boy and grabbed his hand, trying to pull him away.

"Come and look at the picture I drew," she said, pulling him has hard as she could.

"But maybe I should-" he began to protest, before she looked up at him with her soft eyes, knowing they never failed her.

"Come on," she insisted. He finally conceded, and followed her away from the argument, letting her lead him over to a makeshift table next to the RV. While Clementine showed off her pictures to the new guy, she tried her best to listen in on the argument still going on nearby.

"It's just two more people Lilly, it isn't that bad. If anything, they can help us find more food," Carley put in, siding with Dallas and Lee.

"It is still two more stomachs to fill. The more people that we let join up, the more food we will go through, which means we will have to run out of supplies to gather sooner or later. It's not like there are people shipping in new food products for us," Lilly argued, looking at the three men opposing her.

"Why can't you little idiots just let her lead this group? You're making sure that these people have less of a chance of surviving," Larry agreed, stepping in beside his daughter.

"Whatever, you guys can keep arguing, I'm going to go work on this wall," Mark said, putting his hands up in defeat and walking away.

"The more people we have, the more chance we have for survival. More people means more people to keep watch, more people to defend us. If everyone is able to take care of themselves, and we worry about getting food for everyone, then it shouldn't be a problem," Carley pointed out, looking between father and daughter.

"Just let them stay. We can fix this guy up, and let them stay until they can figure out where they are going. Is that good enough for you?" Lee asked, looking between Lilly and Dallas.

"You know what? That's fine. But I think you need to know how it feels to be me," Lilly said, stalking off towards the RV, walking towards the group's stash of food. When she came back, she was holding a few pieces of food, two in each hand.

"What do you want me to do with that?" Lee asked, confused by what she was trying to prove.

"You give out the food today. You see how it feels to make the hard decisions, and then you come back and see me." She shoved the pieces of food into Lee's hands and walked away, taking her place on top of the RV once again. He looked around the motor inn, starved faces staring back at him. Dallas walked over to Clementine and sat next to her, looking at the pictures she was drawing.

"I'm Dallas." He stuck his hand out to the guy named Ben, one of the two teenage boys that had followed them back to the motor inn, obviously worried about the wounded man.

"I'm Ben," he said, taking the hand, but giving Dallas a weak handshake, retracting his hand almost instantly.

"How did you guys end up out here, just three of you?" Dallas asked, while Clementine happily drew pictures next to him, the world around her becoming white noise.

"We had to get out of there. Out of my high school. People were starting to lose it, and…" Ben trailed off, looking reluctant to continue talking.

"Is something wrong?" Dallas questioned, trying to read Ben's face.

"I don't normally talk to strangers to extensively, I've gotten myself into trouble in the past by talking to people I don't know," he answered, his hand noticeably shaking.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that okay? We're all pretty friendly here," Dallas told him.

"Can't you do anything right?!" They looked over at the wall to see Larry shouting at Mark, who was currently cowering away.

"Well, most of us are friendly," Dallas joked, making Ben crack a small smile.

"He does seem like a bit of an asshole," Ben agreed, seeming like he was becoming a little more comfortable.

"Normally I would say it is the world going to shit that is to blame, but in Larry's case. He's just an asshole." Dallas looked around again and saw Lee talking to Katjaa nearby, the two of them glancing at the wounded man every so often. Ben must've followed his gaze, sighing when he saw his friend.

"I hope he's okay," he whispered just loud enough for Dallas to hear.

"Who is he?" Dallas asked, making Ben jump a little at the question.

"He's my band teacher. His name is David Parker. While we were staying out in the woods, in a larger group, a group of bandits attacked us, killing the guys and kidnapping the girls. One of them was about to try and kill Travis and I, but Mr. Parker saved us. After that, we got out of there as soon as we could, running further into the forest. He saved us. Now, I don't want to have to lose him. He's all I have left of my old life," Ben said, a tears sliding down his cheeks.

"Don't worry Ben, I'm sure he will be okay," Dallas reassured him, just as Lee came walking over to them, his face grim. He made a beeline for Clementine, kneeling down in front of her.

"Have some food," he offered, giving her a piece of apple.

"Are you sure? I don't want to eat any if everyone else misses out," Clementine said, looking around at all the other hungry faces.

"You need to keep your strength up. You're a growing girl. So?" he asked again, pushing his hand closer to her. She looked to Dallas for confirmation, and when he nodded his head, she reluctantly took the food from his hand and began to nibble on it.

"Can I have some?" Duck asked excitedly, as he watched his friend eating the apple.

"Of course," Lee replied, giving him some biscuits and dip.

"Thanks Lee." Duck ripped open the packaging and began to chow down, not even bothering to dip the biscuits into the dip. Lee looked up from the two children and made eye contact with Dallas, giving him a knowing look.

"You're not giving me anything. I ate yesterday. Go take care of everyone else first," Dallas told him, avoiding eye contact.

"Are you sure?" Lee asked, sticking his hand out, which had some beef jerky in it, as an offering.

"Yes, take care of everyone else first," he insisted. Lee got up from the ground and moved over to Carley to offer her some food.

"Why would you turn down the chance to eat? If he had asked me, I probably would've said yes," Ben commented, sounding more comfortable speaking to Dallas.

"I want to make sure everyone else is fed before I am. I know we are all starving, but if I know that everyone else has had a chance to eat something, then that is good enough to get me through the day," Dallas replied, watching Clementine draw a rather large bird.

"So you think of everyone else before yourself?" Ben asked, looking confused.

"Of course. Yes, my own life is important, but so is everyone else's. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," Dallas said, proud that he remembered that quote.

"So you believe in karma?" Ben questioned, crossing his legs.

"That I do. Why are you asking so many questions?" Dallas inquired, giving Ben a serious look.

"Well, I told you some things about me, so I thought it would be okay if I asked you stuff. If that's not okay, then I guess that's fine to," Ben said quickly, avoiding eye contact. Dallas heard Lee talking to Lilly nearby, both of them discussing something to do with rationing the food. He was soon pulled away from the conversation by Katjaa, who also called over her husband.

"It's okay, don't worry. I haven't seen anyone my own age in a while now, so I guess it's safe to say you're a nice change," Dallas joked, managing to get Ben to smile again.

"Godammit!" Dallas turned around to see Kenny ditch a spanner at the ground and walk away from the truck, where Lee and Katjaa were standing over the wounded man.

"What do you think's wrong?" Ben asked, standing up from his seat on the ground.

"I don't know," Dallas replied standing up himself. They began to walk over to the truck, when they heard Katjaa scream. The once David Parker was attacking Katjaa, grabbing her by the shoulders, while trying to pull her into the truck.

"Shit!" Dallas exclaimed, running over to the truck as quickly as he could, with Ben close at his heels. Lee punched Parker off of Katjaa and began to wrestle with him, falling into the back of the truck in the process. All everyone could do was watch as Parker tried its best to kill Lee, having already forgotten about Katjaa. Mark ran over to them, holding the fire axe that Lee usually had a hold of.

"Move!" he shouted, swinging the axe at the Parker's head, just as the he fell forward, trying to follow Lee, who was crawling away as fast as he could, causing the axe to get lodged into the back window of the truck. Lee soon fell off of the truck to the hard bitumen, soon being followed by a groaning Parker, who fell on top of him. He tried his best to get Parker off of him, but Lee was fighting a losing battle, slowly losing his advantage. Carley ran right past Dallas, her gun in hand, ready to shoot Parker.

"Shoot it!" Lee yelled, pushing Parker to the side. As soon as Lee had pushed Parker off, Carley fired her gun, killing Parker instantly, his body going limp. Lee pushed the dead body off of him, standing up and putting his hands on his legs, panting from exhaustion.

"Are you trying to get us fucking killed?" Larry shouted, shoving Lee angrily.

"Dad, please stop," Lilly said, trying to calm her father.

"No, because if these idiots, we almost died, I'm not going to stop!" he snapped, making his daughter take a step back.

"Why didn't you say he was bitten?" Kenny asked Ben angrily, holding his wife close.

"He wasn't," Ben answered, putting his hands up defensively.

"Then how come he was dead, and then the next thing we knew, he was attacking my wife? Can you explain that?" Kenny growled. That was when it dawned on Dallas what must've happened. Parker must've died before, that was why Kenny got so angry, and then he came back as a walker, ready to kill anything in sight.

"Wait, you mean you don't know?" Ben asked, looking around the group. Everyone gave him blank looks, not understanding what he was saying.

"What do you mean?" Dallas asked the question everyone wanted to ask.

"It isn't the bite that does it. You come back either way. If you don't destroy the brain when they die, you become one of those things," Ben explained, addressing everyone in the group.

"How do you even know this?" Larry questioned, not seeming convinced.

"There was a girl at my school. I guess she just couldn't handle all of it. She went to the bathroom and took too many pills. When one of my friends went to find her, she had come back as one of those things," Ben answered. Everyone was silent, no one sure how to react to this new revelation. Dallas looked around the group himself to look at everyone's faces, seeing mixed looked of shock, horror and anger, even having a few blank, unreadable faces.

"Shit," Lee uttered, shattering the silence that hung over the group. The silence continued on again, everyone not sure how to react, not knowing what to say. Clementine leant on Dallas' side, shivering a little as she did. Dallas wrapped his arm around her, trying to be as comforting as he could.

"Back off!" Carley exclaimed, pulling her gun out. Everyone looked in the direction that she was, their gaze falling on two men, standing just outside the walls of the motor inn.

* * *

**I loved writing from Clem's POV :3**

**I know it was only third person, but you at least kind of know her thoughts, and how mischievous she can :P**

**Anyway, there we go, I gave you guys a pretty long chapter, I must say, hope you all enjoyed reading it ^_^**

**I shall see you all tomorrow fellow fanfickers :D **


	14. Chapter 14 - Another Farm?

"Back off!" Not long ago, David Parker, a band teacher, had just died and nearly killed Katjaa, and almost killed Lee as well, if Carley hadn't killed him. Now, there were two strange men standing outside of the group's safe haven, with Carley's gun aimed right at them.

"Woah, lady, relax! Me and my brother, we were just hoping ya'll could help us out," the man hold a gasoline bottle said, putting his hands above his head.

"I said back the fuck off!" Carley repeated, taking the safety off of her gun.

"We don't want any trouble. Just keep walking and no one will get hurt," Lee said, stepping up beside Carley.

"Why do you need gas?" Carley asked, lowering her gun a little.

"Our place is protected by an electric fence. We use generators to keep them all running, and those run on gas," the man explained, keeping his hands above his head.

"Where's your place?" Dallas asked, thinking that this could be a good opportunity.

"We own a dairy farm a few miles up the road. If ya'll be willing to lower your guns, we might be able to talk about some kind of trade," the man suggested, bringing his arms down slightly.

"How are ya'll doing on food? We have plenty back at the dairy, if you need it?" the other man offered, who had been quiet up until then.

"Lee, why don't you take Mark and go check the place out, see if it's legit," Lilly suggested, gesturing to the two men outside.

"I'll come too. I got your back in case anything seems fishy," Carley said, putting her gun into her pocket.

"So, do we have a deal?" the first man asked, bringing his arms down to his sides. Lee looked like he was thinking about what to do, trying to figure out what decision to make.

"You guys have a deal. We'll bring SOME gas to your dairy. In exchange, you give us food to bring back to our group. After that, we'll see where it goes from there," Lee said, everyone sighing in relief.

"Sounds fair. A couple of gallons should power one of our generators for a while," the man said, giving his brother a relieved smile. Mark walked over to our stash of guns and picked up his rifle, joining Carley and Lee by the gate.

"You, new guy, I want you to go with them and check it out," Lilly said, pulling Ben by the sleeve and shoving him towards Lee and the rest.

"But I-" Ben began to protest, before Dallas shook his head, telling him to not say anything. Ben nodded his head, followed Lee, Carley and Mark out of the gate, the four of them following the two men down the road. Once the group of six were out of sight, everyone slowly moved away, going back to their previous work.

"So we're getting food?" Dallas looked down at Clementine, who was still sticking close to him after the whole Parker ordeal.

"It looks like it," he told her, leading her back over to her little drawing station.

"So that means everyone will be happy again?" she asked, looking up at him hopefully.

"I really hope so Clem, I really hope so," he said, taking a seat beside Duck, while Clementine sat on his other side.

"That's good." She continued on with her drawing, moving onto drawing a very small cloud in the corner of the paper. While he was watching her, he finally took notice of what she was wearing, or what she wasn't wearing, and saw that her hat was missing.

"Where's your hat Clem?" he asked, gaining her undivided attention.

"I don't know, I can't find it anywhere," she told him, sitting up on her knees.

"Where was the last place you had it?" he questioned, hoping she might be able to retrace her steps and find it.

"I thought it might be in my room, but when I went to look, it wasn't. So I don't know where it could be," she said, looking down at her pictures.

"Well, when Lee and the rest get back, I promise we will have a look around for it okay? More people can help us that way. Sound good?" Dallas suggested.

"Ok then, thanks," she said, before going back to her drawing. Dallas stood up from his seat on the ground and looked around, deciding that he would go and talk to Kenny, who was sitting on a nearby on a couch under some shade. When he saw Dallas approaching, Kenny stood up and walked over to him, closing the distance between them quickly.

"How you holding up? Losing that guy must've been hard," Dallas said, leaning against the side of the RV.

"I'm doin' fine I guess, it's just hard losing another person in this damned shit hole of a world," Kenny replied angrily.

"Look on the plus side, we at least saved Ben, the other guy. We may have lost one, but we still saved another, that has to count for something right?" Kenny seemed surprised at this new train of thought, obviously not taking that into consideration.

"I guess that's a fair point. You're right, thanks," Kenny said, uncrossing his arms. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Shoot," Dallas said, shifting uncomfortably.

"How did you do it? How did you manage to cut that guys leg off without hesitation?" Kenny questioned. Now it was Dallas' turn to be surprised, confused as to why Kenny would need to know the answer to such a question.

"It was the heat of the moment. I knew I needed to save that guy, so I did the first thing that came to mind. I thought that it would be better to live with a stump, rather than to not live at all. In my head, I thought he might die anyway, but I wanted to give him a fighting chance anyway," Dallas told him, thinking back on the memory of what happened.

"Sounds about right. Dallas, ever the level headed saviour," Kenny joked, the pair of them laughing at the comment.

"I wouldn't call myself a saviour, but thanks for the thought," Dallas said with a smile.

"Hey, you've taken care of my family many times, and you always think about everyone else, before you even consider taking care of yourself. If that isn't a saviour, then I don't know what it is. To top it all off, you're half my age, and still the most compassionate person I have ever met." Dallas was taken aback by Kenny's words. They had known each other for only three months, and yet, he still had such a high opinion of him, it made him feel wanted, feel special.

"Thank you Kenny, that means a lot. Although…" he trailed off, scratching his chin in thought.

"Although?" Kenny inquired, giving Dallas a hard look.

I reckon you're at least three times older than me," Dallas teased. The look that Kenny gave him just made Dallas break out in laughter, forcing him to hold his stomach as his laughs filled the air.

"You should learn to respect your elder's son," Kenny said, trying to keep a serious face, but he failed miserably, when he started laughing along. The two of them stood there for a while, just laughing as hard as they could, the struggles of their life seeming to be far away.

A few hours later, Dallas had said he would take over watch for a while so that Lilly could have a rest, and so that he could watch out for the return of their group. He didn't have to wait long it seemed, as some familiar faces could be seen walking down the road, the two of them quietly talking.

"They're back," Dallas announced, standing up from his lawn chair and jumping down from the RV, walking over to the gate to greet their friends. Carley and Ben pushed open the gate, smiling and waving as the group all walked over to them.

"So, how did it go?" Lilly asked, looking at the basket that Carley was currently holding.

"The place looks amazing. The electric fence they told us about looks like it goes around the entire estate. Plus, they offered to have us over for dinner tonight, even giving us this as a piece offering," Carley explained, handing the basket over to Lilly for her to examine.

"There's barely enough in here for all of us," Lilly said, poking around in the basket a bit.

"We kind of ate some of them on the way here," Ben said, cowering behind Carley, just in case she lashed out.

"We were hungry. It was my suggestion so-" Carley began to say before Lilly cut her off by putting her hand up.

"It's okay, I understand. You two can stay here and watch over the camp in return. Sound fair?" she asked calmly, which surprised Dallas a little if he was being perfectly honest.

"Yes. We can do that," Carley agreed, nodding at Lilly's idea. She nudged Ben in the side, which made him nod his head in agreement to.

"Good. We can share these on our way over then. Let's get moving," Lilly commanded, walking over to the gate with the basket still in her hand, pulling a map, Dallas assumed, looking at it thoroughly as she walked. Katjaa called Duck over from his drawing to follow the rest of the group, leading him and Kenny out of the gate after Lilly, who had Larry walking beside her already. Dallas took Clementine by the hand and stood at the rear of the group, following everyone along the road to the farm, where they would be having their first proper meal in weeks.

* * *

**I liked this chapter, let me get Kenny and Dallas to connect a little ^_^**

**It's time to go to the farm everybody, I hope y'all are ready :D**

**I am also planning on doing some origin stories for some of the characters, looking at the events that led up to them meeting Lee, so hopefully those turn out well. **

**Anyway, I shall see you all tomorrow fellow fanfickers :D**


	15. Chapter 15 - Welcome to the Dairy

Once Lilly had figured out how to read the map that was in the basket, it didn't take more than an hour for the group to find their way to the farm. On their way, they shared out the food amongst themselves, everyone but Dallas getting some, since he opted to give up eating so that someone else had a share. Although Lilly protested, saying that he should keep his strength up, since he refused food before, he insisted that he would be fine until dinner time, telling Lilly to eat it instead. Soon, they were walking up a long, dirt driveway, looking at quite a large farm. As they walked up the drive, on either side of them was an electric fence, just like the two men had described, which was weaving it's way throughout the estate. When they came closing to the gate that would allow them access, they saw a group of people talking, two of them being Lee and Mark, but the latter had something sticking out of him. On closer inspection, they all realised with shock that he had an arrow sticking out of his back.

"Mark? Oh my god, what happened?" Katjaa asked, pushing open the gate and running over to check on him.

"He got shot with an arrow," Lee replied, joining her, while everyone else surrounded him.

"Christ, are you gonna be okay?" Lilly exclaimed, looking at the wound on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I should just…pull it out," Mark said, reaching to grab the arrow.

"Oh no honey, c'mon, Brenda's got you. C'mon inside now, we'll have you all sorted out," Brenda said, placing a hand on Mark's back and leading him to the house, with Katjaa not far behind them. As the three walked away, the woman called Brenda and Katjaa began talking, while supporting Mark up to the house.

"What kind of shit is this?" Larry remarked, glaring at Lee.

"We ran into some people on the way up here, bandits I guess. I think it was them that attacked us," Lee told him, ignoring the look Larry was giving him.

"They gave us a lot of problems in the beginning, killed a bunch of our farm hands. We were able to get 'em to stop by makin' a deal," the first man explained.

"You knew about these people?" Kenny asked heatedly, giving the man an annoyed look.

"Food for protection. Not like he had much of a choice, but they did stop hasslin' us," the first man's brother jumped in, defending his brother.

"God dammit! Carley said this place was locked down tight!" Larry rumbled, looking at the farm around him in a new light.

"It was just bad luck. We can't just keep thinking that there are never going to be bad people out there," Dallas pointed out.

"You weren't there Dallas, you can't decide whether it was 'bad luck' or not," Lilly snapped, shutting him up.

"He's right. It could have happened anywhere. It could have happened to us at the motor inn," Lee said, nodding to Dallas.

"Listen folks, we may have had an agreement with those people, but we will not stand for this shit!" the first man remarked, nodding to his brother.

"Ain't no way we're gonna let those sons o' bitches get away with this!" the other man agreed.

"You know where these assholes are?" Kenny asked, looking ready for a fight.

"They're hard to pin down, but I think I know where at least one of their camps are," the second man told him, nodding towards the woods. "When you're ready to scope out that bandit camp, come find us." As soon as the two men were out of earshot, Lilly stepped into the group.

"Bandits? Are you serious? This place isn't safe, we can't stay here," she said, moving over to the fence.

"Not safe? This place is a hell of a lot safer than that motor inn! I think all of us and our guns can handle a couple of punks with bows and arrows," Kenny stated, getting nods of agreement from some of the group. "What we need to do is find a way to get out whole group out here to stay. Take this place over if we have to."

"We don't have to try and take this place over. They seem like a nice group of people, so we shouldn't try and ruin it. Let's at least get to know them and have dinner first," Dallas said.

"For once, I actually agree with the kid, we don't want to get thrown out, so let's all just tone it down," Larry said, nodding to Dallas.

"I'm gonna head out and help Dan deal with these bandits. You guys should try to make friends with Andy and Brenda while I'm gone," Lee said, moving his gaze over the group.

"Well that's easy, have charm coming out of my ass," Larry commented, getting a snort out of Dallas and Kenny simultaneously, making both of them chuckle and give each other a knowing look.

"Yeah, that's real charming dad," Lilly droned, rolling her eyes.

"You didn't bring Ben and Carley with you?" Lee asked looking around the group for its two missing members.

"Since the two of them ate some of the food on their way back to get us, they 'volunteered' to stay behind and watch the motor inn until we get back," Lilly explained, holding up the now empty basket. The first man from before came walking back over, more than likely listening in on the conversation.

"If your kids are looking for the swing, it's over there. Your friend here fixed it up good," he said, gesturing to a nearby tree.

"A swing? I love swings! Just like at my treehouse! Come on Duck!" Clementine exclaimed, running over to the swing.

"What do you say?" Dallas called out to her, making both her and Duck turn around.

"Thanks Lee!" they said in unison, continuing their run to the swing. Everyone else began moving off to different parts of the farm, examining the area as they went. The only one to not walk away straight away was Dallas, who wanted to ask Lee something.

"Something up?" Lee asked, sticking his hands into his jacket pockets. After a few seconds of not responding, Dallas finally got up the courage to ask what had been on his mind since the two brothers had suggested it.

"I want to come with you when you go into the woods to find the bandits. You could use the extra hand, and that second guy just creeps me out. So, can I?" he asked, looking at Lee hopefully.

"I'm not sure if-" Lee began to say.

"I brought my rifle along just in case we needed it, so I can help keep watch or something while we are out there. I haven't had much of a chance to practice with it. Please?" Dallas glanced over at the two brothers who were standing up at the house, the two of them watching the conversation.

"Okay then. But don't stray too far. Clem would be devastated if anything happened to you," Lee relented.

"Of course. Thanks Lee. Just tell me when we are leaving and I'll be ready," Dallas said, watching Lee walk away to go talk to Lilly and Larry. Dallas looked around at the farm again, knowing that things will be different now, only good things could happen from here. He looked over at where Kenny was pushing the swing for Duck, the young boy having the time of his life. Dallas walked over to see Clementine sitting on a nearby stump.

"Hey Clem, how're you going? You like the swing?" Dallas asked, knelling down in front of her.

"Yeah, it looks like fun!" she said, watching Duck happily kick his legs in the air.

"That was nice of Lee to do that wasn't it?" Dallas said, sitting beside her.

"Yep. Will you push me on it?" Dallas turned to look at her, those big brown eyes boring into him

"I guess so," he said, never being able to resist that look. He stood back up and looked at Kenny, motioning to the swing. "Do you mind if Clementine has a shot?"

"All right Duck, let's let Clementine had a go," Kenny said. Duck hopped off of the swing and went to sit on the stump that Clementine was sitting on previously, with Kenny not far behind. Clementine hopped onto the swing and Dallas positioned himself behind her and began pushing the swing.

"So, what do you think of this place?" he asked, lightly pushing her to start with.

"I think it's really pretty. It reminds me of how everything was before," she said, tilting her head back as the swing came back to Dallas to look at him, a smile on her face.

"It sure does, nicest place I've seen in a while as well," Dallas agreed, putting a little more force behind his pushes.

"Do you think things will ever go back to the way they used to be?" she asked, looking at her surroundings again.

"I reckon so. Not sure when that day will be, but I'm sure that everything will be normal again someday," he told her, actually believing it to be true.

"That's good. I hope it's soon, then maybe everyone will be happy all the time," Clementine said, kicking her legs excitedly.

"So do I." He began to push her a little more, the swing moving up higher than before. "So, how are you doing right now?"

"I'm okay I think. I'm just happy that everyone will be able to eat. What about you, are you okay?" she asked, turning her head around a bit to look at Dallas.

"Yeah, I'm good. I just hope that Mark is going to be okay," he answered, looking up at the house.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" she asked, turning her head back.

"He looked like he got lucky when they were attacked, it could've been a whole lot worse," he told her, pushing her harder than ever.

"Will you and Lee be able to find the people that hurt him?" she inquired, her head slumping a little.

"Hopefully. We have to make sure they won't hurt anyone else," he said, venom filling his words.

"Be careful while you're out there. I want you to stay lucky too, like Mark," she said worriedly.

"Well, I would think that ever since I start taking care of you, I've had a big stroke of luck, and it's still going, so don't worry," he reassured her with a smile, making her giggle. After another couple of minutes of swinging, Clementine began to squirm in the swing.

"I'm ready to get off now," she said. Dallas stopped pushing her, grabbing the rope of the swing to help stop her. Once she jumped off, Duck was up in an instant, practically leaping onto the swing. Clementine went to sit back on the stump, while Kenny began pushing Duck again, gesturing for Dallas to come talk to him.

"So, what do you think of this place? Looks safe enough, apart from those bandits," Kenny said, motioning to the electric fence.

"Hopefully now that we are on the side of the fence, we should be safe enough," Dallas agreed.

"As long as the fence holds out that is," Kenny said, scanning along the fence, probably looking for any noticeable breaks.

"Well if these things run on generators, then when the gas runs out, the electricity runs out as well," Dallas theorised, pointing to the generator at the other end of the fence.

"Never thought of that. Well, it's good to know what we're working with I suppose." Kenny continued to push Duck, as Dallas saw Lee walk towards the house, nodding his head to him.

"I'll see you guys later," Dallas said, walking over to meet Lee at the picket fence. Once he reached Lee, the pair opened the gate and walked up to the house to greet the two brothers, who were quietly talking to themselves, before they noticed them coming up the path.

"How are ya feelin' Lee? I'm really sorry you almost got killed by those bastards out there. We should have told you how dangerous it was," the first man said apologetically.

"No shit," Lee deadpanned, crossing his arms.

"You saw what they did to your buddy. Nobody's safe here until we start to fight back," the first man brother said. Dallas realised that he had yet to learn these guys' names, always referring to them as either the first man or his brother.

"Before we get into that, do you mind if I ask what your name's are?" Dallas cut in, looking at the two men in front of him.

"Of course, where are our manners , we never properly introduced ourselves. My name is Andrew St. John, but you can just call me Andy and this is my brother Danny," Andy said, sticking his hand out for Dallas to shake.

"I'm Dallas," he said, shaking the hand heartily.

"Now that that quick introduction is out of the way, how are we going to get these guys?" Lee asked, turning Danny's attention to him.

"The two of us should go out for some reckon, then we'll all mount up for some revenge," Danny told him, giving an evil grin, which unnerved Dallas a little.

"Hell yeah," Andy agreed, high fiving his brother.

"Three of us. Dallas here wants to come along and help, if you don't mind," Lee said, motioning to Dallas, who was standing beside him.

"Of course, the more the merrier," Danny said happily, nodding to Dallas.

"Who are those guys out there in the woods?" Dallas asked, pointing into the woods behind them.

"We're not sure son. We think some of 'em used to work at the big box up the way. They're nutty as hell, and get mad when they're hungry" Andy explained.

"So, are you two ready to head out then?" Danny asked, looking between Dallas and Lee for confirmation.

"Yeah, we are. This will be a good opportunity to find out a bit more about what we're up against. Let's do it." Lee said.

"I'll stay here and hold down the fort, watch over your group for you," Andy said, stepping past them to get out into the front yard.

"Remember: we're just doing some reconnaissance for now, no point in getting ourselves killed," Danny said, leading Lee and Danny after Andy back into the front yard. Just as they were about to open the front gate, Clementine ran up to them, worry in her eyes.

"Are you guys going now?" she asked, looking up at Dallas.

"Yeah, we are. Don't worry, we'll be back soon Clem," Dallas assured her, giving her a reassuring smile. She took the last few steps between them and gave Dallas a quick hug, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Please be lucky," she whispered, before pulling away, and standing back, away from the gate. As they walked away, Dallas gave one last look to Clementine, giving her a smile, which she returned, before walked down the drive, off to discover the hideout of one of these bandits.

* * *

**Here's another one everybody ^_^**

**I found I didn't much like this chapter, it followed along with the dialogue to much I think, but I was having a bit of a writer's block, so I just followed the outline of it all. **

**Hopefully it is still enjoyable for you guys :3**

**I'm thinking of posting 2 chapters a day, depending on the chapters that follow, so I want to know what you guys think. Should I post 2 a day? Tell me in the reviews, and give me a review while you're at it ;D Don't feel obliged though... It's not like I'm an attention hog or something... .**

**Anyway, until next time, fellow fanfickers :D**


	16. Chapter 16 - Stranger in the Woods

Dallas really didn't like the woods. Every step you took, you either stepped on a stick or some dry leaves, and everything in a five mile radius knows that your walking through their territory. The foliage was so thick, that if there was something coming after, whether it be animal, human or walker, you wouldn't even see them coming before they're right in your face. He liked camping as much as the next guy, but with woods as thick as these, where would you even sleep? Up a tree? Looking up ahead of him, Dallas watched Lee and Danny talking quietly, probably discussing what they should do if we end up finding anyone while the three of them are out there. They hadn't seen a soul yet, and Dallas was wondering where this so called camp was hiding, if there was even one close by. After another couple of minutes, Lee and Danny stopped walking, the former bending down to poke something with his gun.

"What is it?" Dallas asked, running to catch up to his companions.

"Looks like a can of food or something. We must be getting close," Lee answered, standing back up. We started followed a small path that wound its way through the forest, taking many twists and turns as they went. Before long, Lee stopped once more when he turned a corner, gesturing for Danny and Dallas to catch up. They had finally found the camp they were looking for, just a couple of metres ahead of them.

"Oh shit, you found it," Danny exclaimed, almost jumping for joy, which Dallas found a little strange.

"Take it slow, we don't want to attract any attention," Lee whispered, motioning for Danny and Dallas to crouch down to the ground, pulling out his rifle. While they pulled out their own guns, Lee began taking small steps towards the camp, watching each and every one of his steps, being careful not to make any loud noises.

"See anything?" Danny asked quietly, looking at the camp closely. Lee did a quick scan of the camp, and nodded his head, pointing to the tent.

"Stay on your guard," he answered, leading the small group into the camp, towards the tent.

"Watch my back boys, I'm going to see if there is anyone inside," Danny said, moving past Lee and Dallas, right up to the door of the tent. Lee and Dallas aimed their guns right at the door, keeping careful watch through their sights to make sure no one got the drop on them. Danny moved right up to the door and stuck the nozzle of his gun in, ripping the door open and looking inside. When he saw that there wasn't anyone inside, his shoulders visibly slumped, Dallas noticed, like he was disappointed that there was no one here to find.

"This camp's too small. It can't be their main base," Danny commented, lowering his gun.

"That's what I was thinking," Lee agreed, doing the same.

"Might as well look around anyway. There's bound to be stuff they stole from you guys," Dallas said, Lee and Danny nodding their heads in agreement. Lee started looking at the right half of the camp, while Dallas moved to the table full of boxes and Danny searched the rest of the area. Dallas poked around through the boxes, trying to see if there was anything that he could find amongst the cardboard. Looking through the boxes, most of them were empty, or had empty cans of food lying inside.

"Anything in there?" Lee asked, picking up a few empty cans of food.

"It's basically all from Save-Lots" Dallas replied , picking up one of the empty cans.

"The first few days, they told folks to gather to the Save-Lots by the interstate," Danny told them, turning around to look at Dallas. "Anything worth taking?"

"All empty," Dallas said, dropping the can into the box with a rattle. Pushing the boxes aside, he found a different looking box, one with the insignia for the farm.

"Is that from the dairy?" Lee asked, having joined Dallas at the table.

"Probably the food we've been given' em. Fuckers crossed the line," Danny said, finishing of his scan of his search area. Pushing these boxes aside, Dallas found a camcorder, just sitting there, looking like it had been there for a while.

"What'd you find?" Danny asked, noticing Dallas staring at the camcorder.

"A video camera," Dallas answered, examining it closely. Danny started walking over to him, looking interested in this new find.

"Lemme see it," he said, reaching for the camera.

"The battery's dead, it's of no use to us," Dallas told him. Danny quickly retracted his hand, almost looking relieved at this fact.

"Oh. Good," he said, before he began having his own search of the table. "So, I see you boys have been handling those pretty well. You hunters?"

"No, but Lilly does keep us on a regular training schedule," Lee replied, poking around through a couple of bottles on a nearby table.

"Lilly huh? Sounds like she makes a pretty good leader," Danny commented, hefting a box off of the table. Looking around, Dallas saw that there was really nowhere else to search, so he decided to go check out the tent, to see if there was anything worthwhile inside. Crouching as he went in, Dallas examined the floor of the tent, running his hand over the sleeping bag that he was kneeling on. It still felt warm, he noticed, which means that the owner must not have left that long ago. Scanning the tent more, he saw a toy bunny leaning on a pillow, a little bit of blood staining it's plush face. Shifting his gaze around again, he noticed a small lump at the end of the sleeping bag, like there was a small head hiding underneath. He lifted the end of the sleeping bag up and pulled out a hat, turning around in his hands to see what was on the front. On the front of the hat, stitched into the centre of the hat, was a large, blue D.

"What the hell?" Dallas breathed, confused as to how Clementine's hat got here.

"Don't you fucking move!" a woman's voice barked behind him. Turning around, he saw a woman standing a couple of metres away, the crossbow in her hands pointed right at Dallas' head.

"Shit," Danny cursed, aiming his gun at her, while Lee did the same.

"Put your guns down, or the boy gets it!" she said, tightening her grip on the crossbow.

"Just stay calm now," Lee said to the woman, while addressing Dallas at the same time.

"I ain't going back. You tell 'em Jolene ain't going back!" she shouted, the point of the crossbow waving around wildly.

"What are you talking about?" Dallas asked her, putting his hands above his head.

"Hey! We had a deal! No shooting as long as we gave you food! What the fuck happened?" Danny exclaimed, aiming his gun right at Jolene's head.

"You had a deal with them. I ain't them," she replied, focusing her aim on Dallas again.

"So you're by yourself out here?" Dallas asked, bringing his hands down a little.

"Yeah, you bet I am. Been that way for a while now," she replied, moving her look around to look at Danny again.

"You don't have anyone?" Jolene looked like she was about to answer, when she took a closer look at Danny, something dawning on her.

"I know you. I know what you are, I know what you do," she said to him, her gaze unchanging.

"You don't know me!" Danny snapped, looking through the sight of his gun.

"Who are you?" Dallas asked, trying keep his voice as calm as he could. Jolene just laughed at him, like he had just told the funniest joke she had ever heard.

"Look, it's not safe up here in the woods. You gotta come back to the dairy," Lee said, slowly pacing towards Jolene. She stared laughing again, sounding more maniacal then before.

"Oh, it's a hell of a lot safer up here than down there, you best believe," she said, glancing at Danny again. "Now maybe you didn't hear me boys, when I asked you sweet. Put your damn guns down, or the kid gets an arrow in the head."

"Don't." Lee deadpanned, stepping a little closer to her.

"You think I won't kill him? I'm gonna take this here crossbow, and put a nice sharp arrow right through his eyeball. And right into his goddamn brain! You're not men. You're monsters. All men are monsters. Take what they want, then destroy it all," she said, her eyes shifting around crazily. Dallas looked at the hat in his hand, moving his gaze to meet her eyes.

"Where did you get this hat?" he asked, feeling rage bubble up in his chest.

"The little girl," Jolene replied, her face neutral.

"You stole from a little girl?" Dallas exclaimed, lowering his arms down a little more, the anger inside of him rising.

"So what if I did? You stole her from me!" she snapped, giving him a death glare.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Dallas asked, fury filling his words.

"You know what? I've had a change of heart boy. I'm putting this arrow right through your balls. Yeah, right through. String 'em up on that tree," she said, gesturing to a nearby tree. "Then, I'm going to go down to that farm and shoot anyone I see."

"Please, just put down the crossbow," Lee said, looking over at Dallas worriedly.

"No way, I need it. I need it to kill all you fuckers," she replied, laughing at him. She focused her gaze on Dallas, putting her finger to the trigger.

"Lee…" Dallas pleaded, fear filling his previously angry eyes. Jolene shifted her gaze to Danny again, giving him an evil smile.

"Go on, tell them boy! Tell them what you got in mind for-" she began to say, before a gun firing cut her off. Suddenly, a large bullet hole appeared in her head, causing her to fall forward onto the ground, dropping the crossbow as she went. Blood began to pool around her head, as Dallas looked on, shock plastered to his features.

"Godammit," Danny exclaimed, lowering his smoking gun.

"You straight up murdered that woman!" Lee gasped, turning his attention to Danny.

"She had a crossbow pointed at your friend's head, now she doesn't," Danny said, moving over to Jolene's lifeless body, Dallas doing the same. "It was a clean shot though, right through the forehead. That's good shootin' right here. Still, what a waste."

"Shit," Dallas breathed, looking down at Jolene's empty eyes.

"So, that's it? We're going back now?" Lee asked, looking like he had had enough of this camp.

"If they ain't around here, I don't know where they are. And it ain't the best idea to go tromping around the woods looking for them. So yeah, we can head back. Once they see this, they'll get the message," Danny said, examining Jolene. Danny began reaching down to pick up the crossbow, but Dallas snatched it up first, hefting it into his arms. Giving Dallas a strange look, Danny started to walk away from the camp, with Lee and Dallas following a little way behind.

"I don't trust him," Dallas whispered, just loud enough for Lee to hear, but not loud enough that Danny could eavesdrop.

"I don't either. We'll have to try and keep an eye on him," Lee whispered back. As the three of them slowly walked away from the scene, Dallas looked down at his new crossbow and Clementine's hat, the other making him feel that at least some part of this trip was worthwhile.

* * *

**I thought I would be generous today and give you guys some more chapters, since its the weekend at the moment :D**

**I found that the title for this chapter could almost have a double meaning... Jolene is the stranger in the woods, but at the same time, Danny became 'stranger' in the woods, becoming a little weirder than they initially thought... What do you guys think?**

**Anyway, I'm thinking, maybe one more chapter today, so then I can be evil to you all...hehe...**

**Farewell for now, fellow fanfickers :D**


	17. Chapter 17 - What Happened to You?

"Man that was a hell of a ride huh?" Danny, Lee and Dallas had just made it back to the farm after leaving Jolene's camp. The trip back had been silent, the death of Jolene affecting all three of them, especially Dallas.

"Jesus Danny," Lee exclaimed, throwing the man's gun back to him.

"What. You ain't getting' soft on them are ya? Not after they tried to kill your friend," Danny said, glancing at Dallas for emphasis.

"You're back! What happened?" Brenda came walking down the path from her house, leaning on the gate to talk to the group.

"Handled it mama," Danny said proudly, going to sit on the nearby stump. Lee and Dallas walked Brenda back up to the house, allowing her to sit on the steps as they waited for her to speak.

"This isn't what Terry would've wanted," she said sadly, looking up at the sky.

"Who's Terry?" Dallas asked, leading on the post of the handrail for the stairs.

"My husband. God bless his soul," Brenda replied, giving Dallas a sad smile.

"..then screw it up for everybody then, why don't you?" they heard Lilly shout. The three of them all turned their heads to see, yet again, Lilly and Kenny fighting.

"Oh calm down princess, I'll do it myself," Kenny told her, turning around and making his way over to the barn. Lilly shook her head in disgust, walking back up her father, while stealing a glance at Lilly.

"What's going on with them?" he asked, turning his attention back to Brenda.

"Dunno. Squabblin' looks like. There's a lotta tension in your group huh?" Brenda inquired, looking between Lee and Dallas.

"Neither of them can agree on how to run our group," Dallas started, looking over at where Lilly was talking to her dad.

"If they don't find any common ground, this whole thing' gonna fall apart," Lee finished, nudging Dallas in the side, making him focus his attention back on the conversation.

"Nah, it's just tough times. Everyone's hungry and people get stir crazy when their tummy's empty," Brenda told them. As if on cue, Dallas' stomach growled, causing Brenda to start laughing.

"I guess I haven't eaten in a while," Dallas admitted, feeling embarrassed.

"Don't worry dear, let's go find you something to eat," Brenda said, taking Dallas by the arm and leading him to the house.

"Take this to Clementine for me?" he said, handing her hat to Lee. Lee nodded his head, turning around to head over to the barn.

"And Lee. Don't worry about them bandits. I'm sorry you've seen more violence than I'da thought in your short time, but ya'll are safe here. Don't worry" Brenda said, before pulling Dallas into the house.

Dallas had to admit, the St. Johns had quite a nice house. It was what you would expect of an old country home. Old wallpaper on the walls, old style furniture lining the walls, a few photos on the walls. It was very comfortable, making him think of what his grandmother's house looked like. Brenda disappeared through a nearby door, presumably to go and find him something to eat. While he waited, he moved over to one of the nearby pictures on the wall. On closer inspection, he recognised Brenda, Andy and Danny, but the fourth person in the picture didn't seem very familiar, which led Dallas to assume that must be Terry.

"Normally I wouldn't allow my kids to eat so close to dinner, but I thought ya might as well have somethin' to tide ya over," Brenda said, handing him a pastry to eat.

"Is that Terry?" Dallas asked, gesturing to the picture as he took a bite out of his food.

"Indeed it is. My wonderful husband. I miss his wonderful, smiling face every day," she said, staring longingly at Terry's face.

"How long were you guys married before he passed?" Dallas asked, taking another large bite out of the pastry, a few stray crumbs sticking to his mouth.

"Thirty five delightful years. He passed on four years ago. All I have left are my boys," she said, moving her gaze over to Andy and Danny's faces, beside her own.

"At least you have some family left," Dallas said sadly, staring down at his food.

"Oh dear, did ya lose your parents?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I lost my mum when I was nine. My dad couldn't handle losing her, so he started drinking a lot. When he wasn't at work, he was at home, getting shit faced, not worrying about taking care of his own son. I hate alcoholics," he told her, finishing off his pie.

"Well, the way I see it dear, ya have that lovely boy Lee looking out for ya, and the rest of your group as well. You may not have ya parents anymore, but at least you have them," Brenda told him, giving him a motherly hug.

"Thanks Brenda. I was wondering, could I go up and visit Mark? Everyone is worried about him and I thought-" Dallas began to say, before Brenda put her hand up to stop him.

"He's resting right now dear, you shouldn't disturb him," she cut him off, looking out the door.

"But I thought I could, you know, just go and-" he tried again.

"No. Leave him be dear, let him sleep. Now, if you want to wash your hands, the bathroom is right over there, I'm going to go talk to Larry," Brenda said, moving over to the door, where Larry was waiting. Grumbling under his breath, Dallas started walking towards the bathroom, but then had an idea. Turning around, he saw that Brenda was busy conversing with Larry, to preoccupied talking to him to notice what Dallas was doing. Seeing it as an opportunity, he started making his way upstairs, being careful to make as little noise as possible. When he reached the second floor landing, he looked around at the doors, trying to figure out which one Mark might be in. As he tried to decide which door to try first, Dallas noticed a cord on the ground, which lead all the way over to a closet. Following the cord, he opened the closet, to find a whole lot of stuff on the shelves. There was a lot of different kinds of drugs which Dallas couldn't name, but he at least knew that most of them were painkillers of some sort. While he was trying to figure out why dairy farmers would need all this, he knelt down and found that the power cord led to a switch, which he decided he might as well turn on. When he did, a small beam of light shot onto his chest, coming front directly in front of him, out of a small hole. He got back up and walked over to the room right next to where the light should be coming from, opening the door to get inside. Dallas looked at the bed in the room and saw a few blood stains on the sheets, but there was no sign of Mark anywhere. Brenda had said that he was resting up here, but he isn't in bed, so where else could he be? Deciding it would be best to not think about it just yet, he moved over to the nearby bookcase, where light was protruding through the bottom. Dallas began pushing it out of the way, managing to move enough to reveal a secret door. He took a deep breath and put his hand on the handle, turning the knob and swinging the door open, to be met with a grizzly sight. Right in front of him, lying on the floor with both his legs missing, was Mark, looking like he could die at any second.

"Dallas…" he gasped, reaching out for him. Dallas instantly jumped down to him, examining the stumps that were once his legs, watching as blood seeped out of the bandages.

"What the hell happened to you?" Dallas exclaimed, looking right at Mark, hoping he had the strength to answer.

"Brothers…" he breathed, pointing out the door.

"What happened to your legs Mark? What happened?" Dallas pleaded, shaking mark by the shoulders slightly.

"Don't. Eat. Dinner." Was all he said, before he went unconscious, dead to the world. Dallas checked his neck for a pulse, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found one. He got to his feet and turned around to leave the room and go find the others, when he was greeted by Brenda.

"I told you to leave him alone," she said, swinging a fry pan right into Dallas' face, knocking him to the floor right next to Mark. Just before he lost consciousness, he looked up at Brenda standing over him, an annoyed look in her eye. She swung the fry pan down against his face, letting darkness consume his vision.

* * *

**Oh no Dallas, he got caught, whatever shall we do? :O**

**That's right, cliffhanger. What is going to happen to him now? Will he be trapped in there with Mark, awaiting his fate? Will he get limbs chopped off as well? Guess you will have to wait and see...huehehehe...**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was very interesting to try and write, sorry for it not being that long, it was kind of one of those things that I just randomly added in, to add a little flavour to the story.**

**Also, I am currently writing chapters for episode 3, and I can proudly say that I am happy with how the story is turning out right now, I'm loving what I'm writing, it's awesome :3**

**Finally, leave any thoughts or comments or predictions in the reviews area please ^_^**

**Anyway, farewell for now fellow fanfickers :D (sorry for the long author note)**


	18. Chapter 18 - My Hat!

A cold breeze blew through the barn, causing Clementine to shiver a little. She was sitting in the barn with Katjaa, Duck, Kenny and that strange man Andy, looking down at the sick cow called Maybelle. Katjaa had managed to make her feel better, and now she was just resting, lazily lying down on the ground at their feet. Dallas and Lee had both been gone for a long time now, and Clementine was starting to get worried, hoping that both of them hadn't stopped being lucky, like Mark had when he got hurt. Katjaa must've noticed Clementine's worried look, because she rested a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, gaining her attention.

"I'm sure they're fine honey," she said, him her a reassuring smile. Clementine returned the smile, but when she turned a way, her frown returned, creasing her youthful face. When she heard the barn doors start opening, she looked up to see Lee walk in, her eyes connecting with his.

"Lee!" she squealed, running over to hug him.

"Hey Clementine," he said, returning her hug.

"Where's Dallas? Are you guys okay?" she asked, looking him over for any wounds, like an over protective mother.

"We're fine, don't worry. Dallas is just at the house getting a quick snack before dinner. He also wanted me to give you this as well." Lee knelt down in front of her and stuck his hand behind his back, pulling her hat at.

"You found it!" she said, snatching the hat out of his hands and sticking it on her head instantly.

"Dallas found it while we were out, you can thank him when he comes back," Lee told her, happy to see her smiling again.

"Thank you Lee," she said, giving him another quick hug.

"So, what are we all doing?" Lee asked, standing back up to look at the cow.

"Katjaa said that Maybelle should have her baby soon. She said a baby cow is called a calf," Clementine explained, carefully petting the cow on its head. She noticed Lee begin looking at the barn around him, his eyes falling on a large brick that was sitting nearby.

"What's this?" he asked, moving closer to have a better look at it.

"Daddy said it's called a salt lick," Duck answered, his eyes never leaving the cow.

"Yeah, but don't lick it. It's gross," Clementine said, her face going sour. Lee turned around to look at her, giving her a very serious look.

"Did you lick it?" he asked, giving her a knowing look. Clementine froze. The only thing she could do was stare back at Lee, not sure how to answer.

"I don't know," she said, trying to avoid contact with him. Lee shook his head at her, a smile on his face, as she watched him walk away, looking into each of the pens in the barn. Clementine turned her attention back to Maybelle, examining the giant eyelashes on her eyes.

"Danny, could ya come in and help me for a minute?" Clementine turned around to see that nice woman, Brenda, calling her son, Danny, into the house. Wanting to know where Dallas is, Clementine got up from her seat on the ground and started to leave the barn.

"Where are you going young lady?" Katjaa asked, making Clementine stop in her tracks.

"I just want to go find Dallas, I won't be long," she said, turning around to look at Katjaa, hoping to use her secret weapon to convince her.

"Alright then, be back soon okay?" Katjaa said. Nodding in reply, Clementine ran out of the barn and pushed open the gate, making her way over to the house. When she arrived at the front door, she knocked on it, waiting for someone to come let her in. After a minute or so, Brenda came to the door, a wide grin coming to her face when she saw who it was.

"Well hello dear, how can I help you?" she asked, opening the screen door.

"I was wondering if Dallas is still here?" Clementine asked, looking past Brenda to look into the house.

"Oh I'm sorry dear. Dallas had a little bit of an accident just before. He was going to go check on Mark, but he tripped and took a fall down the stairs," Brenda explained, a shocked look coming to Clementine's face.

"I have to go see him," she said, trying to get past her.

"I'm sorry dear, but he needs to get his rest, he's not even awake right now. I'm sure that he will be fine after dinner," Brenda reassured her, leading Clementine down the path.

"But-" Clementine began to say, before Brenda opened the gate and pushed her through it, closing it behind her.

"Run along back to the barn. Dinner will be ready soon, but there is still some time left," Brenda said, turning around and going back up to the house, closing both doors behind her. Clementine began to walk back over to the barn, a slight slump in her shoulders, hoping that Dallas was going to be okay. As she started pushing open the gate, she heard the house door open nearby, and turned around to see Danny exiting, going back to sit on his stump. That man creped Clementine out a little, making her dash through the gate and back over to the barn, to find everyone back in their original positions.

"Is everything okay? Where's Dallas?" Katjaa asked, noticing that Clementine had come back alone.

"He hurt himself going up some stairs. Brenda said he's sleeping now, and should be okay for us to visit later," Clementine explained, worry evident in her voice.

"Don't worry honey, I'm sure he is fine, you'll just have to wait until after dinner." Clementine nodded, and began looking around for Lee, seeing him at the back of the barn, quietly talking to Lee.

"Don't get paranoid," she heard Lee say as she approached them.

"It's my job to be paranoid Lee. I got my whole family on this farm right now. How about you? What about Clem and Dallas?" Kenny said, gesturing over to where Clementine was supposed to be, when he realised that she was standing right in front of them.

"What are you doing her sweet pea?" Lee asked, looking behind her, probably to see where Dallas was.

"Dallas got hurt, and is resting, so I thought I would find you," she replied, looking up at the two men.

"Okay then, but stick close for now," Lee said, smiling down at her.

"See?" Kenny said, motioning to Clementine.

"I'll protect them no matter what," Lee said, looking at Clementine as he said it.

"I know you will. Look, that guy with Katjaa, what's his name, he locked it up real tight the second we came in. I definitely heard a noise back there Lee," Kenny said, pointing at thumb at the door behind him.

"What kind of noise?" Clementine asked, looking at the door herself.

"A metal noise hon, now my point is, we gotta know for sure. So, go find a hammer or something, and I'll have this thing off in a second. You back me up in case them farmers come running," Kenny said, examining the lock on the door.

"It's wrong to break other people's things. Maybe you could just loosen it or something?" Clementine said innocently, the two men looking down at her in surprise.

"That's not actually a bad idea, nice job Clem," Kenny said, patting her head.

"Thanks." Lee began to examine the lock, looking like he was trying to figure out the best way to loosen the lock, like Clementine had suggested.

"Hey Lee. You know how to pick a lock right?" Kenny asked, getting a weird look from him.

"No! Why would you say that?" Lee questioned, looking at Kenny.

"Well, you're, you know. Urban?" Lee's mouth dropped open in unison with Clementine, the two of them staring at Kenny in surprise.

"You're not saying what I think you're saying," Lee said, looking annoyed.

"Jesus man! I'm from Florida, crazy shit just comes out of my mouth sometimes, sorry," Kenny apologised.

"Swear," Clementine scolded, giving Kenny her own annoyed look.

"Sorry Clem," he apologised again, looking between the two annoyed faces. Turning his attention away from Kenny, Clementine watched as Lee examined the lock again, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

"See those screws? Instead of breaking the pad lock, we can just take off the assembly, have a peek inside and then replace it all again like nothing ever happened," Lee said, seeming quite proud of himself for coming up with that plan.

"All right, sounds like you got a plan. I'll hang around and keep an eye on that guy with the cow," Kenny said, looking over at Andy.

"Do you mean Andy?" Clementine asked, like it was a fact that everyone should know.

"Shit, I thought that was Danny," Kenny started to say, before he realised who was standing next to him. "Sorry."

"Can I help you boys find something?" While the three of them were talking, Andy had walked up behind them, a suspicious look on his face. Neither Kenny or Lee seemed like they knew what they should say, so Clementine stepped forward and looked up at the man.

"How long have you been work on this farm for?" she asked, tilting her head to the side a little.

"Well miss, my family has had this here farm for twenty years now. I've been working since I was a little one, not much younger than you," Andy explained, leading Clementine back over to his seat. As he continued talking to her, Clementine turned her head to look at Lee and Kenny, giving both of them a wink. While Andy told her about the history of the farm, Clementine would glance at Lee moving about, asking Andy questions whenever it looked like he might go and see what Lee was doing. Although she was only doing this to distract him, she found herself actually enjoying some of the things he was talking about. He told her how, before his family bought the place, the farm was a vegetable farm, growing all kinds of nutritious vegetables. When they took it over however, Brenda had her heart set on owning a dairy farm. So within the week, Andy and Danny had gone done to the local market and bought some cows, bringing them back to the dairy for her. From that day forward, the dairy had become a happy place, full of laughter whenever kids visited and swung on the old swing, and lots of people happily trying different cheeses and milk while they were visiting. Their business had apparently boomed over the years, lots of people coming to visit. When the walkers started roaming around however, business came to a grinding halt, causing them to lose most of their farm hands. Before Andy had a chance to continue, before the sound of the generator suddenly stopped. Andy excused himself from the conversation to go check what was happening, leaving Clementine to watch him leave. After a couple of minutes, Lee came back in, smiling at Clementine as he walked past. She jumped up from her seat on the ground and followed him, running over to him and Kenny, who were both back at the locked door. Before any of them had a chance to say anything, a bell began to ring, which Clementine assumed to be the food bell.

"Mum! Dad! Dinner time! It's dinner time!" Duck said excitedly, confirming Clementine's train of thought.

"Okay honey, let's get dad," Clementine heard Katjaa say, as she stood up from her hay bale seat.

"Dad! Dad! C'mon, let's eaaaaaaaat!" Duck complained, pulling his father's sleeve.

"Clementine, come along honey," Katjaa called over.

"But-" Kenny and Clementine began to say.

"Kenny, c'mon, don't make the children wait," Katjaa said, cutting both of them off.

"I'll make an excuse for ya. Come on Clem," Kenny said, leading Clementine to the exit. She turned around to look at Lee, he gave her a reassuring smile, before Kenny closed the barn door, blocking her view of him.

* * *

**But where is Dallas? Hmm...**

**Anyway, another fun filled Clementine POV chapter, showing off her smarts once more, don't you just love her :3**

**Things are slowly building to the climax, how awesome is that guys :D**

**On another note, addressing the review from Micidonalboss: I thank you for the idea, it's nice to hear your suggestions, but I think I will stick to the story I already have. Besides, where he is now, there isn't much chance of him cutting his arm off anyway... ;D  
**

**Comments, reviews and such in the reviews please and thank you ^_^**

**Farewell for now fellowfanfickers :D**


	19. Chapter 19 - Don't Eat That!

Darkness. That is all that Dallas could see, as he slowly started to become conscious. As his strength gradually came back to him, he tried opening his eyes, making them flutter a little as he opened them. When his eyes had finally open all the way, he blinked a little to get them working again, so that he could see where he was. Once his eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the room, he realised that he was in the bathroom he had found Mark in. So if he looked to his right, then Mark should still be lying down on the ground. Moving his gaze in that direction, sure enough, Mark was out cold on the ground, stiff as a statue. Dallas went to try and say something, but when no sound came out, he finally noticed that he had a gag tied around his mouth. Unfortunately, he found that his arms were also bound, leaving him unable to do anything but sit there, unable to do anything. The only plus side to his predicament was that he was tied down, so he could at least move around freely. Seeing as it was night time, everyone should be coming in for dinner now, which meant that now was the best time to try to get help. This also ment that if he didn't hurry, Clementine would be eating dinner, eating Mark. He tried to push himself off of the ground, but since he didn't have the use of his arms, he fell down instantly. Groaning in frustration, he looked around him, trying to find any means of leverage to help him off of the floor. His eyes fell on the bathroom sink, which was placed onto of a cupboard, only a few feet away. He began to push his legs out in front of him, making slow progress over to the nearby cupboard, managing to shuffle his body across the tiled floor. Soon, his back was up against the cupboard, allowing him to slowly raise his arms up towards the handles. He tried his best, but his arms got to strained trying to reach the handles, and he brought them back down, grunting in pain. He pulled himself away from the cupboard a little, leaving a bit of space between him and it. He took a deep breath through his nose, and close his eyes in anticipation. Suddenly, he pushed himself off of the ground and grabbed the cupboard handles, gripping them as tightly as he could, which allowed him to get up to his feet. Once he was standing up. He turned around and started to look around the room, since a new perspective was now available to him. The only place he could see that would be of any use to him, was the small cabinet above the sink. He stuck his head underneath it and tried pulling it open, hoping it was loose enough to be opened that way. Thankfully, it was loose enough, allowing him to swing it open to see what was of use inside. He scanned through the shelves and found what he was looking for. On the bottom shelf, was a razor blade. Now the question was, how was he going to get it into his hands? An idea popping into his head, he lent his face towards the razor, being very careful not to cut himself, as he carefully picked it up with his teeth. He turned around and dropped it on the ground, stepping over it and bending backwards, reaching down to grab it with his hands. Once it was in his hands, he tried his best to move it up and down against the rope, trying his best to apply as much pressure as possible. As he worked at cutting the rope, he could hear footsteps coming up the stairs to the second level, making him cut faster. Just as he heard the footsteps reach the second floor, he managed to break his bonds, quickly ripping the gag out of his mouth. He started looking around quickly for something he could use as a weapon, the only option he could see however was the lid of the toilet. Just as he grabbed the lid to try and tear it off, the light was switched on, making him pull with as much force as he could muster. He could hear the bookcase being moved behind him, terror starting to engulf his mind. Just as the doorknob started to turn, Dallas had the lid off and had it at the in both hands, ready to swing at whoever was about to walk through that door.

"Dallas?" asked a familiar voice. Out of the darkness of the next room, stepped Lee, moving into the bathroom, staring down at Mark in shock. "What-"

"There's no time to explain Lee, everyone is about to eat Mark. These people are cannibals," Dallas explained, trying to push Lee back out the door.

"Lee, did you fall in? Dinner's on the table an everyone's havin' at!" Brenda called up. Dallas and Lee looked at each other, realisation dawning on both of them.

"Clementine!" they exclaimed in unison, running out of the room. The two went back down the stairs, taking each step two at a time, practically jumping down to the first floor landing. They went around the corner and entered the dining room, just as Clementine was about to put some food into her mouth.

"Don't eat that!" Dallas shouted, surprising everyone in the room. Clementine jumped, also being quite surprised, but she dropped her fork, and jumped out of her seat, running right around the table to Dallas.

"You're alright!" she said, running into his open arms.

"Of course I am," he told her, holding her tightly.

"I thought Dallas was sick. What's going on?" Kenny asked, dropping his own fork onto his plate.

"Oh sit your asses down boys, this lovely lady has made us a meal," Larry said, gesturing to the empty seats at the table.

"Yeah guys, what's gotten into you two?" Lilly asked, annoyance evident in her voice.

"They just had a start," Brenda began to say, before Larry put a hand up to stop her.

"They could both use some god damn manners," Larry growled, glaring at Lee and Dallas in turn.

"You're eating human meat!" Lee said, looks of shock coming from all the faces around the table.

"That's crazy," "That's ridiculous," "Da hell?" was the mixed response that Lee's comment got.

"You're scaring the kids Lee," Kenny warned, while still sounding suspicious.

"Lee, what the hell is wrong with you?" Lilly asked, sounding more annoyed than before.

"Don't indulge him Lilly, it's always something with this guy. Or with Dallas," :Larry said, quickly adding in that last part. Katjaa snatched Duck's plate away from, pushing her own plate forward to the middle of the table.

"What is going on?" Lilly asked, sounding calmer.

"We need to get everyone out of here, it's not safe," Dallas said, standing up, holding tightly onto Clementine's hand.

"Everything could've turned out okay for you folks." The room went silent as everyone looked at Danny.

"He woulda' died anyway! We gotta think about livin'!" Andy shouted, standing up from his seat.

"Settle down honey," Brenda crooned, making Andy sit back down in his seat. "Grown' up in rural Georgia, you're taught not to waste your food. It's how I was raised and how I raised my boys. Now you got monsters roamin' around that do nothin' but eat people. And for what? To continue to rot til' they eat some more. We think we can put that meat to better use"

"You're all sick. Sick in the head," Dallas spat, glaring at each member of the St. John family.

"Dallas, that's not a very nice thing to imply, especially to your elders," Brenda snapped, turning her hardened gaze onto him.

"I wasn't implying anything," Dallas deadpanned, staring right back at her. Brenda audibly sighed and looked at back at the table, looking over all of the people sitting around it.

"Andy is right; we go after folks who were gonna die anyway, one way or another," Brenda explained, giving everyone a sad look.

"Like ya'll," Danny said, his face showing no emotion.

"Get Clementine out of here!" Lee exclaimed, grabbing Dallas by the shoulders and pushing him towards the front door.

"Nobody is going anywhere," Andy said, pulling his gun out and aiming it at Lee's head. Danny did the same, moving the gun over everyone in the room.

"We got lots of use for ya'll right here," he told them, his face turning into a smirk. Larry started muttering multiple curses, the situation taking completely by surprise.

"Put your guns down! We're walking out of here!" Lilly shouted, standing up from her seat.

"You don't go near my fucking family," Kenny agreed, standing up beside her.

"I don't want to die. Mummy, I don't want to die," Duck pleaded, leaning into his mother's chest, letting her hold him close.

"Everyone! Everything will be okay!" Lee reassured everyone making eye contact with everyone in the room.

"Dallas, I'm scared," Clementine sobbed, digging her head into Dallas' stomach.

"I won't let them hurt you, I promise," he said, holding her as close as he possibly could. Before anyone else could say anything, everyone could hear a loud crashing sound, as something came tumbling down the stairs. Since Dallas was already out in the hall, he saw what it was first, holding Clementine's head and pushing it further into his stomach, not wanting her to see what had come down the stairs. Crawling out of the darkness, was none other than Mark, his pleading eyes looking up at everyone.

"Please…someone…" he begged, pulling himself towards Dallas.

"Dall-" Lee began to say, before Danny hit him from behind, knocking him out cold. Everyone gasped at the sudden movement, looking down at Lee's unconscious body. Danny had his gun aimed right at Dallas now, his smirk having formed into a face of rage in a matter of seconds.

"Do as we say, and no one will get hurt," he said, his focus on Dallas unwavering.

"Everybody get up. You're all going into the barn right now. If you don't, the vet gets it," Andy said, aiming his gun right at Katjaa.

"Leave my fucking family out of this!" Kenny yelled, making a move to attack him.

"Try anything and I'll start with your son," Andy snapped, glaring at Kenny. After a few seconds Kenny relented, walking around the table to join Dallas and Clementine. Soon, Lilly and Larry join them, all of them ready to head off.

"Carry him," Danny ordered, pointing at Lee with his gun. Larry and Kenny put an arm over eat of their shoulders, hefting him up off of the ground.

"Andy, can you bring Mark back up to his room please? I'll watch over Katjaa and the boy while you're gone," Brenda commanded, pulling out a concealed pistol, which she aimed right at Katjaa.

"Sure thing mama," Andy said, putting his gun on the table to go pick Mark up, carrying him back up the stairs as Danny started leading everyone out of the house, to their prison.

* * *

**Now you all know Dallas' fate :D**

**Yes, it was nothing to drastic, but at least he isn't dead or something, that's a plus :) And he managed to almost escape by himself, so you have to give me points for that :P**

**Here we go folks, three more chapters left for Episode 2, isn't this exciting :D A small twist will be showing up in the next chapter, let's see you reactions :p**

**Finally, thanks to Tactus501st once again for leaving more reviews, if you think I'm evil now, wait until later on in the story, I can't wait to see how evil I can be... MWAHAHAHA...**

**Anyway, farewell for now fellow fanfickers :D**


	20. Chapter 20 - Don't Do It!

This felt familiar. Not ten minutes ago, Dallas had been trapped in a bathroom, back at the St John house, with no way of escaping. Now here her was, trapped in a meat locker, with no means of escape yet again. The only plus side this time was that Clementine and other people were in here with him, keeping him company. Kenny was pacing around the room, searching for some way to break out and save his family, who he was very worried about. Larry was nearby banging on the door, trying to get the brother's attention, saying that he wanted to kill him; that he would bash their heads in until their brains were nothing but mush. Lilly was trying her best to calm him down, but he refused to listen to her, but she continue trying, hoping to get through to him soon. Lee was lying unconscious nearby, practically dead to the world, without actually being dead. Clementine was seated in Dallas' lap, holding her arms close to her chest as Dallas gently stroke her hair, comforting her as much as he could. He would look over at Lee every couple of minutes to check if he had woken up or not, but he was disappointed every time he stole a glance. Another couple minutes passed and Dallas looked over at Lee again, finally being rewarded with some movement. He whispered to Clementine to ask her to get up, so that they could both move over to see if he was okay. Lee slowly opened up his eyes and moved himself up against the wall, relief filling his eyes when he saw Dallas and Clementine approach.

"Thank god you guys are okay," he said, as Dallas and Clementine pulled him into a hug.

"It was a person! They tried to make us eat a person," Clementine told him, making it sound like he didn't know about it at all.

"But you didn't, did you?" Lee asked, giving her a weak smile.

"The rest of us did godammit! If you hadn't dragged your feet-" Larry began to shout.

"C'mon dad, now's not the time," Lilly tried to say, sounding exasperated.

"Are you guys doing okay? They didn't hurt you did they" Lee asked worriedly, ignoring Larry and Lilly altogether it seemed.

"I wouldn't have let them," Dallas reassured him, wrapping his arm around Clementine's shoulder.

"Open up!" Larry roared, banging on the door once more.

"Lee, those psychos have my family, and we're stuck in a damn meat locker! We've gotta get the fuck outta here!" Kenny exclaimed, pointing at the door that was between them and freedom.

"This god damn thumb sucker is the one who brought us here," Larry accused, stepping towards Lee threateningly.

"Try it old man, see what happens," Dallas threatened, getting in between him and Lee.

"Will you all just shut the fuck up?" Kenny snapped, a wild look in his eyes.

"I'm scared," Clementine sniffed, putting her arms around Dallas.

"Don't be. It's gonna be okay. We're going to find a way out of here. Lee, you stay here and rest, get your strength back up. I'll help Kenny find a way out of here. Clem, you stay with Lee okay, take care of him." Clementine nodded, letting go of his waist as Dallas walked away, examining the walls around them There didn't seem like any obvious places to escape, all the walls seeming quite thick and unbreakable. He shifted his gaze around the room, scanning the walls for anything that could help them escape, until his eyes fell upon the air vent. He started walking over to it, an idea forming in his mind.

"I'll break the damn door down!" Larry continued to yell, banging his fists on the door.

"Dad, you can't go-" Lilly began to say, before let out a loud gasp. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and stared towards the door, wondering what was wrong with Larry.

"Easy," Lilly crooned, moving towards her dad.

"Oh god," Larry breathed, before collapsing to the ground, falling unconscious.

"Dad!" Lilly screamed, jumping down to her dad, lifting his head up.

"Oh no," Clementine said, backing away from Larry's unmoving body.

"No! Dad, come on! Dad!," Lilly continued to scream, shaking her father's head, trying to wake him up. She began pounding on his chest, starting to perform CPR. "He's stopped breathing. I think he's had a heart attack!"

"Shit. Is he dead?" Kenny asked, looking down at Larry's closed eyes.

"He's not dead. Somebody help me!" Lilly pleaded, pounding on her father's chest repeatedly.

"Fuck, if he's dead…" Kenny trailed off, the idea dawning on everyone but Lilly.

"He's not dead!" Lilly insisted, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"You know what has to happen Dallas," Kenny said, looking at him sadly.

"Kenny, we don't have to-" Dallas began to protest.

"Think about it. You saw that poor bastard back at the motel. How fast he turned," Kenny cut him off, glancing over at the nearby salt licks.

"What are you saying?" Lilly asked, glaring up at Kenny.

"Lilly, I'm sorry. I truly, truly am. But in a few minutes, we're gonna be stuck in a locked room with a six foot four, three hundred pound, seriously pissed off dead guy," Kenny told her, glancing at the salt licks again.

"Fuck you! We can bring him back! Dallas? Lee?" Lilly begged, looking up at the teenage boy standing nearby.

"We can mourn him later. But right now, we have to keep him from comin' back," Kenny said, gazing at the salt licks now, rather than stealing quick glances.

"Nooooo!" Clementine pleaded, looking horrified.

"God dammit Kenny! He's not dead!" Lilly insisted, the force of her pushes putting more pressure on her father's chest.

"Lilly can still save him, let her try," Dallas agreed, trying to reason with Kenny.

"I wish she could, believe me, I do. But that man is dead. We all know what happens next," Kenny said, staring right at the salt licks now.

"Kenny listen-" Lee tried, standing up from his position against the wall.

"This is exactly like what happened at the drugstore, expect Duck wasn't bitten, and we know that Larry isn't going to make. Support me again guys," Kenny pleaded, a look of defeat coming over his face. "Remember what Ben said. Gotta destroy the brain."

"Don't do this Kenny," Dallas pleaded, noticing how scared Clementine looked.

"Come one Dallas, you can't be in the middle on this one, you've gotta have my back again," Kenny begged, gesturing to the salt licks.

"Godammit Dallas, I need you! Please help me!" Lilly pleaded, the pushes on her father's chest never faltering. Dallas looked between the two, not wanting to disappoint either of them, but not wanting to lose either of their trust as well.

"Fuck this," Lee said, getting down next to Lilly to help her out, pushing against Larry's chest.

"Okay then," Kenny said, moving over to the salt licks.

"Kenny, stop!" Dallas shouted, getting in between him and Larry as Kenny turned back around with a salt lick in hand.

"Get out of the way son," Kenny warned him, trying to get past him.

"Don't do this, let them try and safe Larry," Dallas pleaded, trying to get the saltlick away from him.

"He's been nothing but an asshole to you, why are you defending him?" Kenny yelled right in his face, a little spit flying right at him.

"Because I don't believe in murder. If you do this, you won't be any better than those bandits." This seemed to get Kenny's attention, making him stop and think. He looked down at Lilly and Lee as they tried to safe Larry, his eyes growing soft.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I just… I thought I had to…" Kenny tried to say, but he got all choked up, letting Dallas take the salt lick out of his arms. Once he had returned it, he turned around to find Kenny crying, tears falling down his dirty cheeks. Dallas pulled him into a hug, patting him on the back comfortingly.

"You were thinking about your family, I understand, its fine," Dallas crooned. Clementine walked over to them and looked up at the two of them, her eyes red from crying.

"Are you okay Kenny?" she asked, taking his hand in her small one.

"Don't worry hon, I'm fine," he told her, pulling away from Dallas.

"Clem, can you watch Kenny for me while I try and get that air vent open?" Dallas asked Clementine. She nodded her head and led Kenny over to a nearby wall, letting slide down to the ground. As Dallas walked past Lee and Lilly still trying to save Larry, the latter grabbed him by the leg.

"Thank you," she said, before going back to check on her dad. Taking the last few steps over to the air vent, Dallas looked underneath to find four different screws holding the vent in place.

"Does anyone have anything that I can use to unscrew these?" Dallas asked, addressing everyone in the room.

"My dad always keeps some coins in his top pocket, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you borrowed some," Lilly answered, reaching into her father's shirt pocket, procuring a silver coin, which Dallas took. He began work on unscrewing the screws, making quick work of each one as he went. When he had finally unscrewed the last screw, he turned around to look at Kenny.

"Could you give me a hand?" he asked. Kenny nodded his head and got back on his feet, moving over to stand on the other side of the vent. Together, the pair lifted it down to the ground, revealing a sizeable hole.

"Great, now what?" Dallas scratched his chin in thought, trying to figure out how they were going to get through this.

"I can do it." Dallas and Kenny turned around to look at Clementine, who had walked up behind.

"Are you sure?" Kenny asked, looking like he didn't like the idea. Dallas walked over to her, ignoring Kenny's comment.

"I know you're brave enough," he told her, smiling.

"I'm scared," she admitted, looking up at the tiny hole nearby.

"Remember back at the house? You took care of for when I couldn't take care of myself," he told her, thinking back on that day from so long ago.

"And I saved your life!" she said, thinking the same thing.

"You sure did." Dallas stood back up, looking down at his young companion, the one who had practically become his little sister over the last couple of months.

"Okay." Clementine followed Dallas over to the hole, lifting her off of the ground and up to the hole. She climbed inside, and began crawling into the air duct, disappearing inside.

"You're gonna be fine," Dallas reassured her.

"What do I do when I get out?" she asked, turning around to look at him.

"See if you can get to the other side of the door and open it," he told her, pointing at the exit. She nodded her head and turned back around, disappearing once again. All they could do was wait for Clementine to open the door for them, the only sound being made was Lee's grunting as he continued to push down on Larry's chest. The continued to stand there, waiting for something to happen, for anything to happen. Suddenly, they heard Clementine gasp, worry creasing Dallas' face upon hearing it. Everyone stared at the door, waiting for it to swing open. After a couple of seconds, the door was slowly pulled open, allowing Clementine to walk into the room.

"Are you okay? Did anyone see you?" Dallas asked quickly, walking over to her.

"No, but one of those men are outside," she said, turning her head to look back outside.

"Where the hell are you going?" Lee asked, as Kenny made a beeline for the door.

"To find my family," he replied, walking out the door.

"Lilly, take over, I have to go help him," Lee said, standing up and following Kenny out the door.

"Let's go," Dallas said, taking Clementine by the hand as they walked out of the meat locker, leaving Lilly to try and revive her dying father.

* * *

**That's right, Larry didn't get his head squished by Kenny, there's your first change in the storyline, ****he isn't dead, **...is he?...euhehe

**Well that was fun to write I must say, all in anticipation for the climax of the episode, so I hope you all enjoyed it as well :D**

**I'm already getting towards the end of the episode 3 chapters already, it's awesome. **

**Finally, a big hello to my new follower, SmileyRiylee, welcome to the fold ^_^**

**...Maybe I should name you guys, name my followers :O But what should I call you... suggestions? I'll think of some stuff, but you guys do it as well**

**Anyway, farewell for now fellow fanfickers :D**

SmileyRiylee 


	21. Chapter 21 - Showdown with the St Johns

The first thing that came to Dallas' mind when he walked out of the meat locker was how bloody this place was. He figured that they must be in the back of the barn or something. Looking around, he saw blood everywhere, either covering the floors or the benches nearby, with a few tools scattered around the place, also covered in blood.

"Gross," Clementine said, looking over at some sort of bath looking thing at the other side of the room. Dallas picked up what looked like a scythe, turning it around in his hands experimentally. He turned to Clementine and knelt down in front of her, handing her the weapon.

"Go back to Lilly and keep this close, we're going to go help Katjaa and Duck okay?" he said, as she took the sharp object out of his hand.

"But I want to stay with you," she said, looking down at the object in her hands.

"I know you do Clem, but I don't want you to get hurt okay?" he told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She nodded her head and moved her gaze away from the scythe, finally meeting his eyes.

"Stay lucky," she said, before turning around and going back into the meat locker. Dallas turned around to see Lee and Kenny standing by the door, waiting for Dallas to approach them.

"Ready?" Lee asked, holding up some kind of meat hook. Dallas saw a cattle prod sitting nearby and picked it up, seeing that the battery was fully charged.

"Let's go." Kenny careful slid open the door and began to creep forward, Dallas and Lee falling in behind him. Up ahead, Dallas saw Danny sitting on a hay bale, looking out into the darkness, oblivious to the rest of the world.

"… those people are going to ruin everything." From the sound of the voice, it sounded like Andy was outside somewhere. Kenny had almost reached the exit, where Danny's gun was just sitting by his side, when Andy came into view.

"Oh shit," Kenny cursed, leading the way into the closet farm pen, Dallas closing the door behind him,

"What do you think you're doing?" they heard Andy ask.

"Just guarding the place, like you said," Danny replied, sounding annoyed. The two continued to converse while Dallas, Lee and Kenny were helpless, waiting for them to leave so that they could escape.

"Danny doesn't know we're in here yet. When he walks past the pen to get to the meat locker, we can take him when his back is to us," Dallas said, getting approving looks from the two older men.

"See what they are doing now," Kenny said, gesturing to the door of the pen. Dallas pushed the door open slightly, watching as Danny came in out of the rain and closed the barn door, disappearing from sight. Dallas pulled away, closing the door to look at his companions.

"I don't see him anymore," Dallas said, sounding worried.

"Well where the fuck did he go?" Kenny snapped, looking like he was ready to blow a gasket.

"Just have another quick look, he couldn't have gone far," Lee suggested. Dallas moved back over to the door and slowly pushed it open, to be met with the end of Danny's gun. Before he had a chance to fire, Dallas grabbed the end of the gun and pushed away from him, the gun firing harmlessly at the roof. Not letting Danny get another bullet into the gun, Dallas pulled out his cattle prod and zapped him, making Danny stagger backwards, while managing to hit Dallas in the face with the butt of his gun. He stood over Dallas, gun aimed right at his head, when both Kenny and Lee leaped out of the pen, jumping right on top of him. Lee stuck the meat hook into Danny's shoulder, making him cry out in pain. He stumbled backwards and fell right into his own bear trap, causing him to fall down hard on his arse. As Lee helped Dallas to his feet, Katjaa's screams filled the air, worry filling Kenny's face.

"Go, we got this," Lee said, pointing out into the rain. Kenny nodded and ran outside, going in search of his wife. Lee and Dallas walked over to Danny, the former picking up a pitch fork as he did. Danny started groaning out in pain, looking at the two men standing above him.

"You see?! You understand don't you? You can have me! It's how the world works now! Give yourself, so others can live," he said, giving them an evil grin.

"You tried to hurt me and my friends, we should just kill you right now," Dallas said, his words dripping with venom.

"Cannibalism is not the answer! Aren't the walkers eating enough of us?" Lee agreed, aiming the pitch fork at Danny's neck.

"You gotta keep me alive. If you kill me, the meat gets tainted and you can't eat it," Danny explained, trying to plead his case to Dallas.

"You're tainted already," he spat, Danny's leg, the one that was trapped, making him scream out in pain.

"You people won't kill me, just like you didn't kill Jolene. You don't have what it takes. Fucking cowards!" he yelled, just as Lee threw the pitch fork. It went right into the hay bale next to Danny's head, managing to thoroughly scare him.

"This is not how the world works now. You won't make either of us kill you!" Lee exclaimed, kicking the man's leg like Dallas just had. All of a sudden, a scream pierced the air, coming from the direction of the meat locker.

"You go find Kenny, I'll go see what's going on," Dallas said, running back to the meat locker as quickly as he could. He moved as quickly as he could, running into the meat locker to see what had happened. On her knees was Lilly, with blood on her face, holding the scythe in her hand, blood staining its cold metal. Moving my gaze to the body lying next to her, Dallas realised with horror that Larry had a large chunk of his head missing, explaining how blood got on the scythe and on Lilly's face. Nearby, Clementine was sitting in the corner, balling her eyes out, not noticing him come in.

"Are you okay?" he asked, as he run right over to her, pulling her into a hug, letting Clementine dry into his shoulder.

"Larry came back as a walker. He tried to get me, but Lilly stopped him, she killed him. It was so scary," Clementine sobbed, her voice muffled by Dallas' now tear stained shirt. Sudden realisation fell on him, making him looking over at Lilly, who was just staring at her father's lifeless body, gazing at the wound in his head. Turning his attention back to Clementine, Dallas started to rock her back and forth, trying to comfort her.

"Shh, I know, I know. But you have to be strong. I need you to be strong for me right now. Try and think about something else," Dallas said, holding Clementine close.

"Like what?" Clementine asked, pulling away slightly to look at Dallas.

"When we were at the swing, and we were talking about everything being normal? Think about that again, think about getting out of all this and finally being able to not worry about this horrible world," he told her.

"Okay, I'll try. Are we going to be leaving soon? Are those scary men going to leave us alone?" she asked, her tears stopping their fast flow.

"I'm working on it, don't worry," he reassured her.

"What should I do?" Dallas looked over at Lilly, who was sitting over her father's body, a vacant look in her eyes.

"Watch Lilly for me, I have to go get these guys," he told her, standing up and walking back out of the meat locker, to find Kenny and Lee. He was soon outside, standing in the pouring rain, trying to figure out where Lee and Kenny had run off to, deciding to go and check the house. He slowly crept up to the door and looked inside, not seeing anything at first. Then lightning struck, revealing a wounded Lee, holding his leg on the ground, and Brenda, holding a gun to Katjaa's head.

"Don't try anything stupid, like Lee did," Brenda said, shoving the gun against Katjaa's head.

"Please, don't," Katjaa begged, only to have Brenda pistol whip her in the face.

"Shut up," she screamed, staring at Dallas. Slowly, he pushed open the door and held up his hands, quickly glancing down at Lee, who was still writhing on the floor in pain.

"You okay?" Dallas whispered, hoping Brenda couldn't hear him.

"I'm fine, just save Katjaa, and be careful," he whispered back, glaring at Brenda.

"You just had to go snooping around didn't ya?" Brenda spat, pushing the gun as much as she could into Katjaa's head, making her squeal out in pain.

"Please, just let her go," Dallas said, slowly stepping towards her.

"Don't take another step Dallas, please, you remind me too much of my boys, I don't want to hurt you," Brenda begged, stepping up two steps, pulling Katjaa with her.

"You don't have to do this Brenda, just let her go and we will leave, no questions asked," Dallas said softly, moving slowly towards her.

"I'll kill her if I have to, just stop coming near me," Brenda pleaded, moving back up the steps more.

"What happened Brenda? Your family seemed so nice, so smart. How could you let this happen?" Dallas asked, trying to distract her as he moved closer.

"Please, just stop," Brenda pleaded, stepping up the stairs just a little bit more. As lighting struck outside, Dallas caught a quick flash of flailing arms not far away from Brenda's head, realising that it was Mark, who must've turned while they were trapped.

"This place used to be your pride and joy, or so I heard. Now look at it. Look at what it has become," he said, coming up quite close, only standing a couple of feet away. Brenda looked like she as shocked at his comment, almost looking ashamed of herself. After a few seconds however, she shook her head and her face was angry again, as she stepped back up the stairs even more, her head mere inches away from Mark's reaching hands. Knowing that this would be his last chance, he knew he had to say something.

"You know, when I met you, you reminded me of my mother. Always so sweet and caring, always thinking about me, wanting to take care of me. Now, I'm disappointed." Horror filled Brenda's eyes, as it dawned on her that she had disappointed him, that someone had looked up to her but could no longer do that. She stepped back one more step and was grabbed by Mark, being pulled backwards into his gnashing jaws, her screams filling the air. As she was grabbed, she let go of Katjaa, who stumbled forward, Dallas catching her.

"Andy took Duck away, I don't know where he is," Katjaa sobbed into his shoulder.

"I said don't move, asshole!" they heard Andy shouting, sounding like it was coming from out front.

"Don't you fucking hurt him!" Kenny shouted back, obviously outside as well.

"Take care of Lee, I'm going to go help Kenny," Dallas told Katjaa, running back outside into the pouring rain, the thunder booming through the air.

"Let him go god dammit!" Kenny screamed, staring Andy down, staring down the man that was holding Duck close.

"That ain't gonna happen!" Andy shouted over the storm, holding his gun to Duck's head, who was currently whimpering quietly.

"Andy, don't do something you'll regret!" Dallas yelled, trying to make his voice heard.

"Shut up!" Andy screamed, turning his gun on Dallas. Taking this as an opportunity, Kenny started running at him, only for Andy to turn around and shoot him in the ribs.

"Kenny!" Dallas exclaimed, running to go to his side.

"Don't move any further," Andy warned, bringing his gun back on him.

"Andy…" Dallas trailed off, not sure how they were going to get out of this.

"Who the fuck do you people think you are? Look at what you've done, and we've only known you for a day!" he cried, rage bubbling up in his eyes.

"Just calm down-" Dallas began to say, trying to keep his voice as level as possible, as he slowly approached Andy.

"Don't tell me to calm down you little shit head! All we wanted was some god damn gasoline!" he snapped, cutting Dallas off. Before he had a chance to continue what he was saying, a shot rang out through the storm, a bullet hitting him in the ear. Nearby, Carley had come out of nowhere, her gun aimed right at Andy. Knowing he was going to regret this, Dallas pushed Duck out of the way and jumped at Andy, punching him right where he got shot. He screeched out in pain and grabbed at Dallas, trying to get his hands around his neck. Dallas grabbed both his arms and tried to force them apart, moving them away from his exposed neck. When they were forced out as far as they could go, Andy pushed with all his force, managing to punch Dallas in the face, causing the pair of them to start falling down the hill, breaking right through the fence as they went. Both of them got back to their feet, but since Dallas was still a little dazed, Andy took the opportunity to swing his arm up into an uppercut, punching him square in the jaw, knocking Dallas back to the ground. All he could do was watch as Andy walked over to the generator and turned it on, starting up the electric fence. Andy walked back over to Dallas and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, dragging him over to the electrified fence. Dallas tried his best to struggle out of Andy's grip, but his attempts were for naught, as Andy pulled him up, placing one hand behind his head, and the other holding Dallas' arm against his back. He thrashed about in Andy's grip, holding his head away from the humming fence as his head was slowly pushed towards it. When it looked like all hope was lost, Dallas saw Lilly step out of the barn with Clementine, holding Danny's gun in her hands.

"Lilly!" Dallas yelled, hoping she would help him. She pulled the gun up into her hands, aimed, and shot, hitting Andy right in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Dallas made eye contact with her, silently thanking her, before he turned around and jumped on Andy and started punching him. However, apparently the gun shot was not enough to stop him, since Andy pushed Dallas off of him and jumped up, grabbing Dallas by the neck. The two of them began to struggle again, moving dangerously close to the electrified fence. Although he didn't like what he was about to do, Dallas pulled Andy sideways, knocking him right into the path of the fence. Dallas stumbled back and watched as the slightly burnt body of Andy fell to the ground, barely moving. He began to walk away, not looking back as Andy tried to get up off of the ground.

"Is that all ya got boy? You ain't shit!" he shouted, falling back down to the ground, groaning in pain.

"It's over!" Dallas screamed, anger filling his voice.

"Fuck you shit head. As soon as Dan and Mama get out here you're all fucked" he shouted, finally getting back up on his own two feet.

"That won't be happening anytime soon," Dallas panted, the exertion of fighting finally getting to him.

"What do you mean? Dallas, what the fucking are you talking about?" Andy asked, worry covering his bruised face. Dallas began to walk away, not looking back, moving over to everyone, who were now standing around, waiting for him. "Don't you dare walk away from me Dallas! Get back here and finish this!"

"Let's just go," Lee said, who had his arm around Ben and Carley, worry on his own face. Dallas turned around to look back at Andy, frustration evident in his thoughts. He had a choice. He could either leave Andy and let him die by himself, never to be heard from again. Or, he could kill right now, taking revenge for all of the people him and his family had killed. He turned around to stare at Andy, finally deciding on his choice.

"Dallas?" The one voice he didn't want to hear right now. He turned his head and saw Clementine, who was standing apart from the group, looking up at him, her hand outstretched to him. Sighing, he walked towards her, smiling as he took her hand in his, leading the group away from the farm.

"Fight me like a man Dallas!" Andy shouted, falling to his knees. Dallas turned around one last time, the group all stopping to look at him.

"I'm more of a man than you'll ever be," he said, and with that, he continued away, pushing the gate open and stepping out, him and his group walking down the drive, and away from the farm, as the groaning of walkers began to fill the air.

* * *

**...so...that happened...**

**Please don't hate me, I hate Larry with a passion, I just couldn't let him survive, so sorrynotsorry... :c**

**Aaaaaaaaaaaanyway, I hope that was an enjoyable chapter, I write these for your benefit guys, so hope you liked it ^_^**

**I'm thinking, I will give you guys the next chapter as well, just to finish things off a little, since it will be the end of episode two and all :P**

**After that, maybe I'll be nice and talk about my plans for this story and beyond... I'll see how I'm feeling :P**

**Reviews, comments, suggestions and the like are appreciated ^_^**

**Anyway, see you very soon fellow fanfickers :D**


	22. Chapter 22 - Scavengers Once More

The forest was silent as the group walked through, the only sound anyone made was the crunch of leaves underneath their feet. The night had taken its toll on everyone, everything affecting them in one way or another. Katjaa and Duck had almost been killed while they were being held captive, and Kenny had been shot in the leg, so had Lee. Dallas had come close to losing his life, and had almost killed a man in cold blood, whether he would've deserved it or not. On top of all this however, Lilly had taken the most, having to deal with losing her father and being the one that had no choice but to kill him. She hadn't said anything since it happened, choosing just to stare out into the woods, scanning the area half-heartedly. Carley and Ben had exchanged a few worried looks for most of the trip, Dallas noticed, gazing at their friends faces every so often. Finally, Clementine had yet to let go of Dallas' hand, everything that happened still probably fresh in her mind. Carley was currently walking beside Dallas, while she and Lee helped to support Lee, who's leg was still painful from the bullet he took.

"Hey Dallas, I'd apologise for leaving the motel unattended, but ya know, I save your life and everything," she joked, trying to lighten the mood, but failing.

"You showed up just in the nick of time. If you hadn't shot Andy when you did, we might not have all left there alive," Dallas said with a sad smile, turning to look at her.

"Were they really killing people? For food?" she asked, sounding sceptical.

"Yeah, they were. Now Mark's dead because of them. If only I had figured it out sooner," Dallas said, turning away from her.

"How the hell do you foresee something like that? Come on Dallas, don't start blaming yourself again for something you couldn't control," she said, trying to meet his gaze.

"I'm sorry," he said, meeting her stare.

"Don't worry about, I think everyone will agree you aren't to blame," she told him with a smile.

"Agreed," Ben put in, smiling himself.

"Wasn't your fault in the slightest," Lee agreed, groaning in pain slightly as he stepped on his sore leg to hard.

"Listen, Katjaa managed to grab some stuff from the house before we left. She said these were yours," Carley said, letting Ben take Lee while she pulled the crossbow off of her back and handed it to Dallas. She also reached into her pocket and pulled out the camera, handing it to him as well.

"Thanks, I found them while we were out looking for the people who shot Mark," Dallas explained, slinging the crossbow over his shoulder. "Do you want the camera?"

"Why don't you keep it. It can help sometimes to be able to document your daily thoughts," she said, pushing his hand away. He stuck the camera in his pocket and kept walking, glancing behind him to look at the group. He noticed that Kenny and his family had stopped talking, while he grasped at his leg, looking like he was still in pain.

"Watch Clementine for me, I'll be right back," Dallas said, letting go of Clementine's hand, running back to get to Kenny.

"How are you doing?" Katjaa asked, looking at her husband worriedly, as Dallas approached them.

"I'll be fine. I'm just not as young as I used to be," Kenny joked, reassuring his wife. When they saw Dallas nearby, Kenny looked down at Duck and then at Katjaa, knowing what was about to happen. "Hon, go on ahead and give me and Dallas a second, okay?"

"Of course dear, come on Duck." Katjaa and Duck walked off to catch up with the rest of the group, leaving Kenny and Dallas alone, their only companion being the moon.

"I was right, he was dead, or he died at least," Kenny said, looking at Dallas.

"I know. In the end, if you had killed him then and there, you would've regretted it for the rest of your life," Dallas told him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"And I guess it gave Lilly closure to kill him herself. Either way, there will probably be a fallout," he said, watching as the group disappeared around a bend.

"For wanting to kill her dad in the first place? Yeah, there may be more arguing," Dallas agreed.

"What do you think?" Kenny asked, giving Dallas a hard look.

"I think I did the right thing in stopping you. You're right, letting her do it was the better thing in the end. If you had done it, she would've hated you more than she already does," Dallas told him, giving Kenny a reassuring squeeze.

"I was only thinking of my family, of you, Clem and Lee. You three are my family too. I guess that was what clouded my judgement. At least it's over now. Let's go," Kenny said, walking along the path to find the rest of the group. Dallas stood there for a few seconds, thinking back to the meat locker, and everything that had happened, thinking about what could have happened, if he had done nothing.

"Dallas?" He turned around to see that Clementine had stayed behind and was now looking up at him. "Are those bad people dead?"

"Probably got eaten by walkers. They were very bad people, so they were just getting punished for what they did," Dallas told her, kneeling down in front of her.

"Okay," she replied after a few seconds, looking disappointed. Dallas couldn't help but smile at her innocence, standing up and turning around a little.

"Want a piggy back ride?" he asked, smiling at her. This seemed to work, her face brightening up instantly as she jumped onto his back. The pair ran off of to catch up with the group, managing to find them after a minute or so.

"Hey dad, what's that noise?" Duck asked, stopping in his tracks. Everyone else stopped as well, straining to hear a distance noise.

"Sounds like a car," Kenny guessed, stepping past the group to hear the noise better.

"Oh god, not more strangers," Ben said, backing away a little.

"Let's go check it out," Dallas said, walking past everyone, moving towards the source of the noise. After a couple of minutes of walking, light could be seen in the distance, it's intensity growing as they got closer. As Kenny had guessed, there was a car nearby, it's care door open and it's front lights left on. Dallas let Clementine get off his back so that he could join Kenny, he was crouching down in some grass.

"Don't shoot, we're here to help you," Dallas called, hoping there was someone alive to answer them. When no response came, Dallas and Kenny began to approach, being careful not to make any sudden moves. The closer they got, the surer Dallas was that there was no one around, the owner of the car not being present. When they made it to the open door, Dallas looked inside and found the seats empty, the only thing inside being the keys on the seat.

"Anything?" Kenny asked, when Dallas came back out of the car empty handed.

"Just the keys. The owner must've abandoned it for some reason," Dallas replied, scanning the surrounding trees.

"Oh crap. Guys, you got to see this," Kenny said. Everyone followed him around to the back of the car, where they saw that, in the boot, was an abundance of supplies.

"There's so much," Katjaa said, looking inside herself. "This food could save all of us."

"Not all of us," Lilly said sadly, looking down at the ground. Clementine took her by the hand and gave her a comforting squeeze.

"Look, maybe we shouldn't take this stuff. We don't know if these people are dead," Ben said, backing away from the car.

"If they come back, then we're just minsters who came out of the woods and ruined their lives," Lilly agreed, holding tightly to Clementine's hand.

"This stuff isn't ours," Clementine put it, agreeing with Lilly and Ben.

"Dad, whose car is it?" Duck asked, looking like he agreed with the others.

"Don't worry about that Duck, it's ours now," Kenny reassured him, looking back into the car.

"It's abandoned Ducky, don't worry," Katjaa said, backing up her husband.

"What if it's not?" Everyone turned to look at Clementine, who had let go of Lilly's hand, moving into the centre of the group. "What if it's not abandoned? What if it is someone's?"

"That doesn't matter now Clem, we-" Kenny began to say.

"No, we can't take it," Clementine insisted, looking to Dallas for help. He looked between her and Kenny, hating that he had to make yet another tough decision. If they didn't take the food, then they would starve until they found some other food source. On the other hand, if they took it, they would be no better than the same bandits that had tried to kill him. In the end, he decided to go with his gut, deciding that it was better to starve, then to become a monster, like Lilly said.

"I agree, we can't take this stuff," Dallas said, moving over to stand beside Clementine.

"Are you kidding? We have to take this stuff, we have to survive," Kenny snapped, looking surprised at Dallas' decision.

"We can survive without it. Better to starve then to become bandits," Dallas retorted, staring Kenny down.

"The hell we will," Kenny said, looking at the supplies longingly.

"We'll find a way, we just need to have faith," Dallas told him. Kenny looked back at Dallas and gave him an apologetic look, before turning to address the rest of the group.

"The rest of us are taking this stuff," he announced, sticking his hand out to Dallas for the keys. Dallas reluctantly handed him the keys and stood apart from the group, watching as most of the group moved over to the car to grab stuff.

"I'm sorry Clem, I couldn't stop them," Dallas apologised, looking down at his young companion.

"It's okay Dallas, you tried your best," she said with a sad smile, watching as Kenny opened the boot of the car.

"Okay, what have we got in here?" he asked allowed, rummaging through the contents of the car. Ben moved over to stand beside Dallas, nodding at him.

"Why aren't you helping?" Dallas asked, gesturing to the car.

"I remembered what you said back at the motor inn this morning. I know that this is a little different, but in a sense, it's the same thing. It's better to make sure others are taken care of before yourself. So, I don't agree with taking this stuff in the slightest" Ben answered. Dallas couldn't help but smile, happy that his words had gotten through to Ben.

"We agree," Lee said, as he and Lilly joined the two teenagers and Clementine.

"Look dad, there's food in this box," Duck said excitedly, rummaging through one of the boxes.

"They have antibiotics! Is there any more?" Katjaa asked, scanning over the boxes herself.

"See if there's any water," Carle said. She looked over at the small group that were standing apart from the group, silently apologising to them, especially to Lee, who just shook his, gesturing for her to not worry.

"I know you don't agree with this, but could you help at least?" Kenny asked, offering a box to Ben.

"Fine," Ben said, accepting the box. Katjaa picked up her own box and moved away from the car, as Kenny started pulling another box out.

"Dallas, Lee, there's a hoodie in here, could probably fit Clementine," Katjaa called, looking over at them. Dallas looked down at Clementine, who seemed unsure what to do.

"Bring it over," he said. Katjaa walked over with the jumper on top of the box, allowing him to grab it off the top.

"But I thought-" Clementine began to say, before Dallas knelt down, putting a hand up to stop her talking.

"I know. But you need to stay warm, so I want you to have this okay. I just don't want you getting sick," Dallas said, handing her the jumper. Clementine nodded and took off her hat, letting Dallas hold it while she slipped it on. Once she took it back, Lilly had walked over to take a box as well, looking annoyed at Kenny while she did so.

"Hey. There were some batteries in one of the boxes. I know you don't like what we are doing, but I thought you might want them, for your camcorder," Carley said, offering Dallas some batteries. She then turned to Clementine and offered some to her to. "Here, you can have some as well, for your walkie talkie."

"Batteries huh? Think you can handle those?" Lee teased, making Carley blush.

"You're not gonna let me live that down are you?" she asked, lightly nudging him in the side.

"Not in a million years," Lee told her with a smile. The two of them stared at each other, a longing in both sets of eyes.

"I know you two lovebirds have all this sexual tension and stuff, but could we maybe save it for later?" Dallas asked, smirking at the pair. Lee turned away from him, his cheeks going red, as Carley's became redder. She took the camera from Dallas and put the batteries in, looking to see if there was anything of interest on it.

"Dallas, Lee, you're going to want to see this," she said, handing the camera back to Dallas. Looking down at the screen, he saw a familiar face, making him gasp.

"Holy shit," Lee gasped. The camera showed the motor inn, giving a far off view of the entire area. He zoomed in on different things, like when Mark and Larry were helping to move a couch out of one of the rooms to put outside, for people to sit on. It then zoomed in on Lilly talking to Clementine, who was drawing something on a piece of paper.

_"Jake, Bart, Linda, and all ya'll fuckin' sickos from the Save-Lots! They call ya'll bandits! But you're fucking rapist monsters-" _

The camera switched to a different video, looking like it was taken that morning. In it, Dallas was walking over to Clementine, to sit with her while she drew her pictures.

_Oh darlin' baby. Look at you. Look. At. You. Oh, you need a mama, sweetheart. So does your friend, I know you wouldn't want to leave him. We won't let the bandits get either of you, will we?"_

_"All thinkin' you're safe, sittin' there actin' like things are the way they used to be"_

The camera panned around to reveal that it was Jolene taking the video, which meant she had been spying on them for weeks.

_"But the dead don't kill their own. It's the living you gotta be afraid of, the people I used to call friends, the people who took…" _

She got a little choked up and stopped talking, wiping tears away from her eyes.

_"Don't worry little girl. Bandits got their eye on that dairy. As long as they keep getting food from them, you'll be safe. I promise."_

* * *

**Here we are, the end of episode 2. Isn't this exciting? ^_^**

**Anyway, I was going to talk about future plans, but I think I want to gather my notes together first before I do that. Besides, I want to hear what you guys are thinking so far.**

**Anyway, hope you are all happy at the moment, see you tomorrow, farewell fellow fanfickers :D (sorry for short author's note, wanted to do this before I go to sleep, I promise I will make up for it)**


	23. Chapter 23 - A Town Called Mercy

_Crack!_

A small piece of glass broke underfoot, as Dallas ran through the streets of Macon, trying to keep pace with Kenny and Lee. It had been a week since they had left the dairy behind. One week since they had taken supplies from a running car, probably destroying a person's livelihood. As the week had gone by, Dallas had understood that they had had no choice but to take, the joy of this world being survival of the fittest, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Looking around, the town looked like a mess, somehow managing to look crappier then his last visit. The three of them had come back here, solely to do a supply run, hoping to bring their food and medicine stores up a little bit more, so that Lilly could feel a little more comfortable. Ever since what happened with her dad, Lilly had become more quiet, not being as angry as she used to be, while still getting angry when she needed to. Even though Kenny didn't get to chance to do anything to Larry, Lilly was still holding a grudge against him, making him the only one that she argued with in the group anymore, which happened quite a lot. Both Lee and Kenny's legs had gotten better rather quickly, today being their first time back out doing anything since the week before. Lee and Kenny had begun to grow even closer over the past week, since they spent most of their time resting their legs and talking, finding they had a lot more in common than they initially thought. Dallas and Lee had even become to become closer as well, those two and Clementine becoming their own family, like a father with two children. Clementine had been doing her best to keep everyone happy, avoiding Kenny a little more, since it was his idea to take the food. Although she understood that they had no choice but to take the supplies, she had told Dallas that she didn't like that Kenny had still wanted to go through with it. Duck and Clementine had begun to talk a little more, the pair becoming almost inseparable, partly because Duck followed Clementine almost everywhere she went. Whenever they would walk past, Dallas would tell Lee that he thought he might have a childish crush on her, making the pair of them laugh, as Duck chased Clementine around the yard of the motor inn. Katjaa had been refining her medical skills as well, being very helpful during Lee and Kenny's recoveries, re-bandaging their legs whenever their old ones became too dirty. Carley and Lee had been talking a lot as well, the two of them sitting close together at night time when everyone was huddled around the fire, the pair of them talking quietly to each other. Dallas would joke all the time that they so liked each other, but Lee would scold him every time he said it, making Carley look a little disappointed. Finally, Ben had become a part of the group, growing quite close with Dallas, given that they were close to the same age. Whenever Dallas wasn't taking care of Clementine, or wasn't talking to Lee, he and Ben were talking, trading war stories of their high school years, laughing at all the douchebag they could remember, wondering whether they had died or not. Although the situation wasn't much better than it was a week ago, at least everyone's spirits had been lifted slightly, the group dynamics working better than ever. Now here they were, back out hunting for supplies, jumping right back into the old routine, hopefully not coming back empty handed. Dallas noticed that this place looked worse than when they were last here, even though no one had probably been through here for at least three months, if not more. Most store windows were smashed in, everything inside probably being ransacked when the world went to shit. Hopefully, the drugstore still had some useable supplies.

"Keep up the pace boys, we're almost there," Kenny called back, turning another corner onto a new street. As they came up to the street where the drugstore was, the three of them stopped at the corner and looked around it, checking to see if the coast was clear. When they saw that it was, they took things slower, deciding to walk the rest of the way, so that they could catch their breath, just in case any walkers or bandits jumped them. That had been a new problem that the group had had to face recently. Ever since they took down the dairy farm, and the bandits had stopped getting their food, the motor inn had become their new target. Lately however, they had gone quiet, their attacks becoming much less frequent, almost disappearing altogether. The plus side to them attacking, meant that Dallas had been able to practice with his new crossbow, which he was learning to use quite quickly, learning how to make new ones from Lilly, who had learnt how to make them from Larry. Although he used the crossbow quite a lot now, he still used the gun every so often, thinking that force can be better than silence sometimes.

"Looks like this is our lucky day," Kenny commented, looking down the road, still scanning for any walkers that may be nearby. In front of them was the drugstore, but there was a major change to how it looked. From what Dallas could see, a helicopter had crashed right into the roof, leaving a large hole in the top, almost destroying half the store. The three of them slowly approached, still being careful not to make any noise, even though there were no walkers visible.

"It's far too quiet out here. Keep your eyes open boys," Lee said, looking around himself.

"I was just trying to be optimistic," Kenny joked, continuing down the road.

"Do you think we will find anything?" Dallas asked, quickening his pace to get alongside Kenny.

"I hope son. If we don't, Lilly will be mighty pissed off at us," Kenny replied, looking through one of the store windows.

"You bet she will," Lee agreed, sticking is head into an empty store.

"So, have you come to a decision yet?" Kenny asked, addressing Lee while still moving down the street.

"About what?" Lee asked, walking on Kenny's other side, while Dallas kept watch

"When it comes to gettin' out of Macon. I know ya not sure about it, but it could be the best thing for you, Dallas and Clem," Kenny said, trying to convince Lee the best he could. Dallas turned to look at Lee, who looked back, giving him a knowing look.

"Maybe it is the best thing; the motor inn won't last forever. Maybe leaving to find somewhere else could be the best thing for us," Lee replied, also addressing Dallas when he spoke.

"But what about Lilly? Ben? Carley? We couldn't just leave all of them behind," Dallas pointed out, flinching at a sudden noise. He relaxed when he saw it was just a piece of crumpled paper being blown around in the wind.

"If they want to come alone, then they are welcome to come in the RV. Otherwise, they can stay. I can't put my family in jeopardy because they can't decide whether they want to go or not," Kenny snapped, moving ahead of the group to move towards the store. They move towards a rig that had crashed into the side of the store.

"There's an entrance on the other side of this thing. I found it while you guys were still recovering, since we hadn't been here for a while. All we have to do is get over the rig, get into the pharmacy and scrape together whatever there is we can find," Dallas said, looking up at the rig in front of them.

"If memory serves, there wasn't much left from our last visit," Lee commented, glancing at the drugstore.

"It's better to have something, rather than nothing," Kenny pointed out, moving over to the ladder on the side of the rig. He mounted the ladder and started to climb, his wound giving him a little trouble as he made his way up. Just as he was climbing on top, he accidentally knocked the ladder, making come loose a little, making him curse under his breath.

"You okay Kenny?" Dallas asked, looking up at his friend worriedly.

"The damn ladder came loose. I don't know how many more trips she has left in her," Kenny replied, looking down at the ladder.

"I'm not sure how many trips we have left in us," Lee said, sounding very morbid.

"Don't lose hope, we're still fighting. Come on, let's go," Dallas said, taking a hold of the ladder. As he tried to pull himself up, the ladder came loose, clattering to the ground. Groaning at the amount of effort this was taking, Dallas turned around to see a jeep nearby, moving over to it to grab the hook on the front, an idea forming in his head.

"So, Lilly isn't doing so well," Kenny said, trying to make conversation.

"She had to kill her dad, that'll mess anyone up," Lee agreed, understanding what Dallas was doing. He went over to stand by the car and waited for Dallas to hook the hook on the rig.

"Not like she had much choice," Dallas pointed out, pulling the winch as hard as he could. Soon, he was able to hook it up, and gave the thumbs up to Lee, wiping sweat off of his forehead. Lee pressed a button on the car and the winch began to turn, pulling the car towards the rig.

"Give me a hand?" Lee asked Kenny, as he stepped onto the hood of the car. Kenny got down on his stomach and stretched his hand out for Lee to grasp. Once Lee had grabbed it, Kenny tried to pull him up, but Dallas saw Kenny gasp, and knew what was about to happen. He let go of Lee, rolling on his side in pain, as Lee fell back down, making Dallas cringe a little.

"I thought you had healed up?" Lee asked, standing up and brushing himself off.

"It's still a little sore I guess," Kenny apologised, going to help Lee again.

"I'll help him up Kenny, don't worry," Dallas said, stepping up next to Lee. He got down on one knee and placed his hands on the other one. Lee put one of his feet on Dallas' hands and was hoisted up, getting pulled the rest of the way by the waiting Kenny. Dallas stood back up and jumped, reaching his hand out to Lee, who easily caught and pulled him up on top of the rig. Just as Dallas got onto the rig, a scream shattered the silence that had fallen over the three of them. The three boys turned to see a woman running out of one of the nearby stores, being chased by a walker.

"If she doesn't shut up she will-" Kenny started to say, before the woman's screaming cut him off. Slowly, more walkers started to appear, shuffling out of stores and alleyways, all of them moving towards the shrieking woman.

"We have to do something," Dallas exclaimed, pulling his gun out.

"No. If we help, they will know where we are, and we will be next on their list for people to eat. If we leave her to distract them, we can have more time to get supplies," Kenny said, pushing Dallas' gun down.

"You're kidding right? We can't just let her die like this," Dallas snapped, looking to Lee for help.

"Kenny's right, we have to go before she is devoured. Let's go," Lee said, jumping off the other side of the oil rig to get to the store.

"Sorry son, but we have to do this, it's how the world is now," Kenny agreed, jumping off after Lee. Dallas turned around to look at the woman, watching as she was slowly surrounded by the undead, their gnashing jaws growing closer and closer by the second. With one last look, he reluctantly turned around and jumped down, following behind Lee and Kenny as they entered the store. When they were all inside, the group of them ran to the pharmacy, slinging bags off of their backs.

"We have until that woman stops screaming to find as much supplies as possible and get out of here. Let's move!" Kenny commanded, running to the far side of the pharmacy. Lee took the middle, while Dallas searched the closest area. He ran in between the sets of shelves and started stuffing anything he could into his bag, managing to find some bandages and energy bars, among a few small other things. Once he had finished with this shelving, he ran around behind a counter and opened up some cupboards, shoving some antibiotics right into his bag, including a bottle of painkillers, which would come in handy. Just as Dallas closed the cupboard, he noticed that it was far too quiet, which could only mean one thing.

"The woman is dead, we have to finish up!" Dallas shouted, opening another cupboard to get any last chance supplies he could before they had to get out of there. Satisfied with what he had, he slung his bag over his shoulder and ran over to meet with Kenny and Lee, who had their bags on their backs as well.

"Let's get out of here, quickly!" Kenny announced, running to go back the way they had come, only to find their path blocked.

"Shit!" Lee cursed, turning around to find another means of escape.

"Over the counter!" Dallas shouted, running to one of the nearby counters and jumping over it, being closely followed by Kenny. Soon, Lee had followed them as well, but then the door beside him was knocked off his hinges by some walkers, causing it to fall on top of him.

"Lee!" Kenny shouted, running over to help his friend. All Dallas could do was watch as Kenny helped Lee lift the door off of the top of him. Dallas looked around for some way to help and saw a fridge nearby, and light bulb moment hitting him as he saw it. He ran over to it, positioning himself at its side. Just as Lee and Kenny got the door off of the former, Dallas pushed as hard as he could, successfully squishing one of the walkers and blocking the entrance. The threesome ran back over to their new exit, but just as Dallas was passing the dead body of the helicopter pilot, he jumped at him, causing him to fall down.

"Get the fuck off me!" he yelled, struggling to get out of the walkers grasp. Lee ran back over and pulled the walker off of Dallas, pushing it onto a jutting out piece of metal. Dallas jumped to his feet and pulled out a crossbow arrow, stabbing it throw the walkers head. They looked at the small crowd of walkers slowly moving towards them, and decided it was time to get going, as they ran over to a nearby crack in the wall, allowing them to quickly escape, finally being able to make their way back to camp.

* * *

**Hey guys. Here we are, the opening of... EPISODE 3! WOOOOO!**

**Sorry, this is getting exciting for me :3**

**Anyway, I promised I would talk about stuff I want to do in the future, so here it is ^_^**

**First of all, for TWDG, I plan to have a Season 2 story that will be a continuation of this story, hopefully that will turn out well, I have big big plans :D I also want to do some origin stories for some of the characters, back stories of what they were doing before the outbreak, leading up to when they meet Dallas. I also want to add an OC into the 400 days, just a little something I wanted to do to introduce more people...whether they live or survive...that's another story :P**

**Next, I want to do some fanfiction for AMC's TWD as well, and have a couple of OC's in that as well :D Just going to be a bunch of OC's coming up...**

**Next, time to move away from all that zombie stuff, and move into something out of this world! Mass Effect fanfiction! (excuse my horrible pun) Yet another OC will be in there, a mysterious Cerberus agent will be appearing on Noveria. Why are they there?**

**Moving on, I shall be doing something for Fire Emblem: Awakening using, you guessed it, another OC, hopefully that one will be a good one :D**

**I also want to write some stuff for Doctor Who, Resident Evil, Once Upon a Time and Teen Wolf, with others if they steal my interest ^_^**

**If you guys have any other suggestions for things I should do in this fandom, or outside the fandom, please give them in a review please, alongside a nice little review of the story ;D I want to start doing as much as I can for you guys, which may include multiple stories at once, I don't know.**

**So yeah, there you go, there's all that. Hope you guys have some suggestions :3 Don't try to move me off the path of the plans I already have, because I will put you in my story and kill you off, I swear to god! I'm kidding, I love you guys :3**

**Anyway, sorrynotsorry for such a long Author Note, farewell for now fellow fanfickers, I can't wait to hear from you :D**


	24. Chapter 24 - Not Again

**Sorry for taking this episode down so quickly, apparently it went really weird, and I have hopefully fixed it now ^_^**

**Thanks to Rebloxic for pointing it out, a gold star for you :3**

**On with the chapter, fingers crossed ^_^**

* * *

After an initial sprint away from Macon, Dallas, Lee and Kenny slowed down their pace, choosing to walk the rest of the trek back to the motor inn. No words were exchanged as they made their way back, after the couple of close calls that had befallen them inside the drugstore. The image of that dead pilot's nauseating breath and grinding teeth, were still fresh in his mind. It's not like he hadn't had any close calls before, but that had somehow been worse, just having death stare you in the face, literally. Before long, the motor inn came into view, relief flowing over Dallas as he looked at his current home. As the courtyard came into view, he looked in to see Ben sitting up on top of the RV, keeping a watchful eye over the group while Dallas and the rest were out scavenging. Ben looked up from the ground and saw the small group approaching the motor inn, waving to Dallas as they slowly approached. Dallas waved back with a smile, while trying to keep pace with Lee and Kenny as they got closer to the entrance. Dallas and Ben had grown quite close over the past week, even if a week was all it was. Given that they were around the same age, as Dallas liked to point out a lot, he felt that he could connect with the teen, felt that he was easier to talk to than a little girl like Clementine, or an older man like Lee and Kenny. He may not have known the boy for long, but he knew he could trust him, no matter how jittery he could be when walkers or Lilly were around. Dallas was the last one to come into the motor inn, so he closed the dumpster doors behind him and turned around to continue following Lee and Kenny, noticing Clementine nearby. He was about to call out a greeting to her, when he notices something strange. She seemed to be talking into her walkie talkie, looking like she was stopping to listen to something that was being said every so often, as if there were someone on the other end. Shaking it aside, he continued on, until Clementine saw him, putting her walkie talkie down to run over and greet him.

"You're back," she said, sounding relived, as she ran into his arms.

"Of course I am, where else would I go?" Dallas joked, as he pulled away from her.

"Nowhere I guess. Look, Ben found me some stickers in his room and he let me put them on my walkie talkie," she said proudly, showing off her now colourful electronic device, the pink stickers shimmering a little as she moved it around.

"That's pretty cool, I must say, I'm almost jealous," Dallas pouted, making Clementine laugh at his face. "Listen, I'll come find you in a minute, I just have to go talk to Lilly."

"Okay then," she said, happily skipping back over to her drawing table. Dallas moved off to catch up to Lee and Kenny, who were waiting for him by Lilly's door. When he was standing beside them, Lee knocked on the door, and only had to wait a few seconds, before Lilly opened the door for them.

"I see we got the kid on watch again," Kenny commented as he entered the room, with Lee and Dallas close behind.

"What'd you get?" Lilly asked Lee, ignoring Kenny's comment.

"Might as well leave a sign out that says 'the men are gone, come rape our women and children'," Kenny continued, getting an annoyed look out of Dallas.

"That's a bit harsh. Ben is enough of a man to watch over everyone," Dallas said, defending his friend.

"Whatever you say," Kenny said, smirking at Dallas, who just rolled his eyes.

"I'll ask again, what'd you get?" Lilly asked, glaring at Kenny and Dallas, making them stop their banter.

"As much as we could," Lee replied, emptying the contents of his bag onto her bed. Kenny and Dallas did the same, piling their own supplies on top of Lee's.

"We could've got more, but we got enough to last us another week or so," Dallas agreed, slinging the bag back over his shoulder.

"Half of its probably expired," Kenny said under his breath. Lee and Dallas glared at him, making Kenny step back a little and put his hands up in an apology.

"Doesn't help that that place has been picked clean now," Dallas said, thinking back on all the empty shelves he saw back in the drugstore. Lilly examined the supplies on her bed and nodded her eyes not looking back over to the group assembled in her room.

"It definitely could be worse," Lilly agreed, a small smile appearing on her face, which meant that it was enough, making Dallas sigh in relief. No arguments today.

"Dallas is right, that place has been picked clean. Which is why I still think, and I don't mean to sound like a broken record here, but we gotta hit the road," Kenny said, just when Dallas thought there would be no arguments.

"Here we go," Dallas whispered, rolling his eyes as he went over to the nearby cabinet to lean on, ready to watch the fight that was about to begin.

"Because piling into that RV with you, after what you tried to do to my dad, so just so appealing," Lilly said sarcastically, glaring at Kenny.

"Why wouldn't it be? I only want to keep these people safe, and if that means putting up with each other in a cramped space, then you should be jumping at the idea," Kenny snapped, trying his best to stay calm.

"We're already safe where we are now," Lilly retorted, crossing her arms.

"Have you seen the wall lately? That's not graffiti you realise, those are bullet holes. Plus, we have enough arrows sticking out of it to start up our own clothes drying business," Kenny said, making Dallas stifle a giggle at Kenny's dry humour. "Don't even get me started at how overflowing with walkers Macon is at the moment."

"So what? That's still a while away from here," Lilly said, her stubbornness shining through in her words.

"We have to get out of here sometime Lilly, you know that," Dallas put in, deciding it was time to get his own opinion in.

"See, Dallas agrees with me," Kenny said, a smug look coming on his face.

"I know Dallas, I know. That's not now though. Now, we can still stay here and be safe," Lilly told Dallas, turning her attention to him. At the moment, Carley came up behind Kenny, with Katjaa not far behind her.

"We at it again?" Carley joked, looking between Lilly and Kenny.

"Can it Carley," Kenny snapped, not bothering to look at her.

"Not now Carley," Lee told her, making Carley step away to stand beside Katjaa.

"Don't boss people around like that," Lilly warned turning her attention back to Kenny.

"Well someone needs to do something and, if I am being perfectly honest, I think everyone will agree that you're just not capable anymore," Kenny retorted. Lilly's face turned into a scowl at his words, as she stepped towards him threateningly.

"Guys! Can we please not do this? We are strongest when we work together, not when we bring each other down. We need to be a team and not be separated by petty arguments," Dallas exclaimed, getting everyone's attention. Lee looked at him, a proud look on his face, like he was watching his own son make a speech, if he had one.

"What about the food situation Dallas? What about protection? What happens when this place falls to bandits or walkers? What then? Somebody needs to be thinking about this shit at some point," Kenny pointed out, not even glancing at Lilly.

"How hasn't any of this been working for you? We have everything we need right here-" Lilly began to argue, a sad look on her face..

"Because of Dallas and Lee, without their smart thinking, we would've died ages ago," Kenny cut her off, her sadness becoming angrier.

"And I agree, but that isn't everything there is to think about," Lilly snapped back, glaring at him.

"Why can't we just face the future as it comes? Like we have been for the past three months? It has worked so far," Lee pointed out, standing between his two 'fearless leaders'.

"But what about when a shit load of bandits jump over the wall? How do we deal with that?" Kenny said, trying to reason with him.

"We are not leaving! I have had enough of you bringing it up day after day. I just want to have one week of peace, a week where I don't have to hear about the stupid RV," Lilly shouted, her voice echoing through the courtyard outside.

"Who says you are the one to be making that decision? We are the ones heading out there, putting our lives on the line, risking other people's lives, so that we can get supplies for this group," Kenny shouted back, making Lilly stagger backwards.

"What are you talking about?" Lilly asked, confusion filling her voice.

"There was a girl in town. She came running out of one of the stores, screaming her head off. The next thing we knew, walkers were swarming the street," Dallas explained, jumping back into the conversation.

"And she was making enough noise that we had plenty of time to get what we needed from the drugstore," Kenny continued for Dallas, watching for Lilly's reaction.

"You did what?" Katjaa asked, turned her husband to face him.

"We had no choice hon, we needed that supplies and she distracted 'em for us," Kenny said, trying to defend his actions.

"That is no excuse. Think of the influence it could've had on Dallas here, letting her die like that," Katjaa snapped, gesturing to Dallas nearby.

"He's not a kid hon; he understands the difference between right and wrong. He's more mature than most boys his age," Kenny argued, sticking his thumb in Ben's direction.

"It doesn't matter. You let that woman die out there," Lilly cut in, glaring at Kenny still.

"We've been putting our lives on the line when we go out on our runs, do you not realise that? The shit we've seen, you wouldn't even believe it," Kenny claimed, turning his attention back to Lilly.

"And we do appreciate it Ken-" Katjaa began to say.

"Ya'll should be thankin' us for what we do, not givin' us hell when we do somethin' you don't like," Kenny continued, cutting off his wife.

"I'm busy leading this group, I can't be responsible for your bad choices," Lilly bit back. Carley rolled her eyes and turned around, leaving the conversation to wait outside for the squabbling to end.

"Look, Macon and all its people, whoever's left, aren't saveable. Hell, it's not even a town anymore. All it is, is a bunch of roaming walkers, and anyone that were still alive, are dying in the streets. It's hell on earth out there, and pretty soon, it will be coming our way, and I'll be damned if I let these people get hurt," Kenny said, calming down a little, trying to appeal to Lilly's better nature.

"It's not any better out on the road!" Lilly screamed in his face, looking close to tears.

"How would you know?" Kenny countered, his face stone cold.

"What I know? I know that you aren't above murder, after what happened at the dairy! I know that some little asshole has been stealing from our supplies!" Lilly shouted, surprising everyone.

"Someone's stealing from us?" Dallas asked, not being able to believe it.

"That's right, and I know the list of people that I know I can trust is getting smaller day by day, to the point where I may end up with no one!" Lilly replied, glancing at Kenny. "Now everybody get the hell out of my room!"

"Okay, we'll leave. Let's go guys," Lee said, ushering everyone out of the room, while Lilly went and sat on the bed, putting her head in her hands. Once everyone was outside, we gathered around, ready to talk about what just happened.

"Well that was fun," Dallas deadpanned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You happy Kenny?" Lee asked, looking a little annoyed with Kenny's display inside.

"Well, my family is alive, and I managed to get that RV runnin'. So yeah, I'm doing pretty good," Kenny smirked.

"Everyone is really stressed at the moment," Katjaa put in, looking around the group.

"It doesn't help when you all act like a bunch of children having a school fight," Dallas said, getting stares from everyone.

"That's unfair and you know it," Kenny told him, trying not to be angry.

"Your argument was just so petty. You're just bringing group morale down by arguing. When the two people that a group are supposed to look up to start fighting, you know that group won't last much longer. Just think about that," Dallas snapped, walking away to leave the adults to think on what he just said. As he was walking away, Kenny and Katjaa left to, leaving Lee and Carley alone nearby. Dallas was just close enough that he could overhear what they were saying.

"Looks these arguments are coming up to one big climax," Carley said, getting a nod of agreement from Lee.

"You could say that," he said, looking over at Dallas, who quickly turned his head away, to make it look like he wasn't paying attention.

"Don't worry about him, just leave him for now, he'll cool off," Carley reassured Lee, making Dallas laugh quietly.

"I hope so. He was right though, we are acting like children," Lee said, turning to look at Carley.

"Well, I think you and Dallas did good today, especially you. In fact, that seems to be where my thoughts wander most days," Carley said, winking at Lee.

"Thanks," Lee said, his cheeks tingeing red a little.

"You should probably go talk to Lilly about supplies being stolen. After that, come and see me. We need to talk about something," Carley said, walking away. As she went up the stairs to her usual spot on the second story and Lee went to talk to Lilly, Dallas couldn't help but smile. They may not know it themselves, but it was inevitable that those two were going to hook up.

* * *

**Hey guys, here's the next chapter for you ^_^**

**I shall take this time to address some reviews, because I thought they deserved it.**

Rebloxic:** I'm sorry if you're disappointed with the choices so far :c I just had it in my head already that there would be a few major changes in the third episode, and then the bigger stuff would start to happen in Episode 4 and Episode 5, ready for me to go all out in Season Two, because there is so much I want to do when I get to that point. I can tell you now though, at least one of those five people that you listed will make it all the way to the end of the first Season, so stay tuned for that. Also, you were my muse for something I want to now do in Episode 4, so thank you very much for that :D If I could give you a gold star, I would. So just imagine me placing a gold star on your forehead and placing a cookie in your hands ^_^**

Tactus501st:** I just thought that this had to be said, but I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! I feel like you are my #1 Fan or something, you have been so dedicated for a while now, reviewing almost every single chapter, and taking the time to PM me :3 I thank you heaps, and love you THIS MUCH /spreads arms wide/. I give you all of my gold stars and cookies because you are awesomely awesome, K? You have also been my muse as well, so feel very proud of yourself :3**

**Next, I am announcing a fanfiction that I will be starting soon for Mass Effect, called **_Mass Effect: Shadow Mistress_**. So hopefully that will become a hit, I really like where I could bring it ^_^**

**I shall also hopefully be starting the origin stories soon, so there is that as well.**

**Anyway, farewell fellow fanfickers :D**


	25. Chapter 25 - Detective Dallas?

"Dallas, could you come in here for a second?" Lee called. After the conversation had died down, Dallas had gone to sit with Clementine and watch her draw, feeling content with just sitting in silence. He had been wondering if she was actually talking to someone on that walkie talkie, but it wasn't possible, who could be picking it up? She knows not to speak to strangers, right? He had just been about to ask her, when Lee had called him over to Lilly's room just now, disappearing back into the room.

"I'll be right back, and then I need to ask you something, okay?" Dallas said, standing up and looking down at Clementine.

"Okay," she said, going back to her picture. Dallas walked over to Lilly's room and opened the door, closing it behind him as he entered. Inside, Lilly was still sitting on the bed, looking quite defeated, and Lee was sitting in a chair across from her, looking worried.

"What's up guys? Is this about the stolen supplies?" Dallas asked, leaning against the cabinet once more.

"It is. Someone has been taking from our stores. It has only been small things here and there, I was lucky that I noticed at all. The fact is, I'm sure it has to be someone in the group, it just has to," Lilly explained, looking out the window.

"Surely no one here would do that to us. We've been through so much together," Dallas argued. He had known these guys for three months now and he had gotten to know them, had a chance to connect with them. Hell, he even trusted Ben, and it was only one week ago he arrived.

"I agreed with Dallas on this Lilly, these are good people, they could never do this to us," Lee said, agreeing with Dallas.

"Just because they are good people, it doesn't mean they would never do bad things. Hell, you and Kenny let that girl out in Macon die, just so you could get that supplies," Lilly pointed out.

"I let her die as well Lilly, they aren't the only ones to blame here. As much as I didn't agree with doing it, we had good reason for doing it. If someone from our group has been stealing, then they must have some reason for doing it," Dallas said, appealing to both Lilly and Lee, even if the latter was mostly on his side.

"I don't care about their reasoning, I just want to know who did it okay? Can you guys please do that for me?" Lilly asked, looking between the two boys in front of her. Lee and Dallas exchanged looks, both of them deciding on a decision at the same time, and turned back to look at Lilly.

"Of course we will," Lee answered, standing up from his seat, ready to investigate.

"Thank you, both of you. I think I know a place to start," Lilly said, pulling out one of our flashlights.

"What's this got to do with anything?" Dallas asked, as she handed him the flashlight, noticing it was broken.

"Whoever did it was moving around in the night, when we were all sleeping. If you can find out who it belongs to, or at least try to find the broken glass, you might be able to get somewhere," Lilly explained, sitting back on the bed.

"I guess we will start there then. Let's go Dallas," Lee said, leading Dallas out of the room. When they walked out, Dallas noticed Lee glance up at Carley, before turning to face him.

"You're going to go talk to her now aren't you?" Dallas asked, a smirk on his face.

"I am. You start looking around, I won't be long," Lee said, walking away to the nearby stairs.

"I highly doubt that," Dallas sniggered, turning around to go look around for any broken glass, when he almost jumped out of his skin. Standing right behind him, was none other than Duck, who seemed to be scratching his chin in thought.

"A mystery aye?" he said, looking thoughtful still.

"You weren't eavesdropping on us were you?" Dallas asked, once his heart rate had returned to normal.

"What are eaves?" Duck asked, a blank look on his face.

"Never mind, what do you want?" Dallas asked him, rubbing his temples with his forefinger and thumb, feeling frustrated.

"I want to help you solve the mystery of course," Duck said excitedly, pretending to pull out a spy glass and putting it to his eye.

"Maybe you should sit this one out bud, let Lee and I take care of it," Dallas said, kneeling down so that he was eye level with him.

"But I know I can help, just give me a chance. I'm good at solving mysteries," Duck said, pretending to examine Dallas' face.

"Okay, fine. If you find anything, I want you to come and find me straight away okay?" Dallas said, giving Duck a firm look.

"Of course. Detective Dallas and Detective Duck are on the case!" Duck exclaimed, turning around and running away, disappearing behind the RV.

"That boy is gonna be the end of me." Dallas stood back up and turned to find Kenny, who must've walked up behind him while he was talking to Duck.

"He is a handful, but what child isn't?" Dallas joked, glancing at Clementine nearby, who was examining her picture closely.

"At least your girl behaves, mine just runs 'round like a headless chook. However, I wouldn't trade him for any other child in the world," Kenny said, watching Duck looking at the ground with his pretend magnifying glass.

"As I'm sure every parent ever would agree," Dallas agreed, watching as Duck picked up a bug, looking at it closely, before throwing it over his shoulder, continuing to stare at the ground as he kept walking. Taking the opportunity, Dallas pulled out the broken flashlight and handed it to Kenny, letting him examine it. "While I have you, do you by chance know how this got broken?"

"No clue. Haven't been movin' around at night lately, so I'm not the one to ask. I think Ben was on night duty, you should ask him," Kenny said, handing the flashlight back.

"I'll do that, thanks. See you later," Dallas said, moving over to the nearby ladder at the back of the RV, before Kenny grabbed him by the arm, turning him back around.

"Listen, I want to apologise for how I was actin' in there, you were right, we were being childish," Kenny told him, his voice full of regret.

"It's fine, I'm sorry for snapping. You were just worrying about your family, wanting to get them out of here safely, it's understandable," Dallas reassured him. Kenny let go of his arm and crossed his arms, looking directly at Dallas.

"You are a part of that family, ya know that right?" Kenny asked, a small smile forming on his face.

"Of course, you guys are all I have. Everyone here. Ben, Carley, you guys, Lee, Clementine, even Lilly. All of you are going to be my family, no matter what the world throws our way," Dallas replied, retuning Kenny's smile.

"Cool, cool. I'm going to go back to Kat, see you later," Kenny said awkwardly, walking away to go and sit with his wife on the couch. Chuckling at Kenny's awkwardness, Dallas turned back around to the ladder of the RV and grabbed one of the rungs, pulling himself up to the roof. Once he was on it, he walked over to Ben and placed a hand on his shoulder, making him almost jump out of his seat.

"Shit! Dallas, don't do that, you scared me," Ben scolded, while still managing to have a small voice.

"Sorry, won't happen again, I promise," Dallas apologised, his fingers crossed behind his back.

"Did you need something? Or are you just up here for the view?" Ben joked, turning back to his watch.

"Because this is such a great view," Dallas laughed sitting down on the roof, letting his legs dangle over the edge. "I actually did want to ask you something though."

"What is it?" Ben asked, scanning the tree line, while listening to Dallas' words.

"I was wondering if you know how this flashlight got broken," Dallas said, pulling out said flashlight. A flash of fear crossed Ben's face, but it vanished in a split second, making Dallas wonder if he had actually seen anything.

"I was using a different flashlight last night, if that is what you are asking. Other than that, I don't know what happened to that one," Ben told him, trying to avoid Dallas' eyes.

"You're sure about that?" Dallas asked, looking up at his friend, trying to meet his gaze. Ben looked unsure of how to reply, retreating into the confines of his mind to find an answer.

"I'm sure," he replied after a minute had passed, looking down at his grimy shoes, still not meeting Dallas' gaze. Dallas stood up from his seat and moved back over to the ladder, looking at his friend one last time.

"Just remember, you can trust me," Dallas told Ben, before turning back around and going back down the ladder. Just as he hit the ground, he looked up at Lee and Carley who were still happily chatting away. He noticed the look in Carley's eyes, and knew that something was about to happen. The next thing he knew, Carley was moving towards Lee, planting a small peck on his cheek, making him go scarlet. Dallas tried his best to supress his laughter as he watched Lee's reaction, turning around to chuckle as quietly as he could. Once he had calmed down, Dallas turned back around to see Lee walking away from Carley, make eye contact with him, and come down the stairs. He made a beeline for Dallas as soon as he was on the ground, a grim smile on his face.

"Hey, can we talk about something?" he asked, gesturing to the space just around the corner of the building.

"Sure," Dallas said, following behind Lee. When they were out of earshot of everyone else, Lee turned around, ready to say something, before Dallas cut him off, a smirk on his face. "I knew you two were inevitable."

"What?" Lee asked, confused by what he was talking about.

"You can Carley. I saw that little kiss she placed on your cheek," Dallas teased, making Lee blush again.

"I uh… What I mean to say is… That's not what I wanted to talk about," Lee stuttered, trying to sound serious, but only succeeding in sounding like a boy with a high school crush.

"Okay, okay. What is it?" Dallas asked, becoming serious for Lee's sake.

"Now, what I am about to tell you may sound a little extreme, but I thought you should be one of the people I told," Lee began, his face becoming more serious than before.

"Whatever it is you know you can trust me. Just say it quickly, like ripping off a band aid," Dallas said, placing a reassuring hand on Lee's shoulder.

"When I came and found you, I was actually on my way to prison, for murder." Dallas took his hand away from Lee and looked at him in shock, not quite believing what he was hearing.

"You…you killed someone?" Dallas asked, staggering back a little.

"I caught my wife cheating on me. I was so angry and I just…" Lee trailed off, staring right at Dallas, fear in his eyes.

"So you didn't just do it for the hell of it?" Dallas questioned, running his fingers through his greasy brown hair.

"No, I'm not that sort of person, you know that," Lee said, his face staying fearful and worried.

"I know, I know. It's just hard to swallow is all," Dallas assured him, sticking his hands in his pockets, avoiding his friend's gaze.

"So, what are you thinking?" Lee asked, looking at Dallas hopefully. Dallas tried his best to look anywhere but at Lee while he tried to figure out how to answer. Finally, after a minute or so of thinking, he finally met Lee's eyes, a small smile appearing on his face.

"I guess I'm fine with it," he said, looking down at the ground.

"Wait, you are?" Lee questioned, surprise in his voice.

"Yeah, I am. It was before this shit started, before we got stuck in this situation. If you think about it, everyone gets a clean slate coming into this. What you choose to do, whether you go back to what you once were, or if you become a better person, that's your choice. So yeah, I don't care who you were, I only care who you are now, and you are my friend," Dallas told him, meeting Lee's gaze once more. A wide grin formed on Lee's face, as he pulled Dallas into a hug, almost squeezing the life out of him. When he heard Dallas gasping for air, Lee pulled away, looking sheepish.

"Sorry, I was just really worried that you might hate me or something" Lee said, scratching the back of his head.

"I'm not the hating type," Dallas joked, making both of them laugh.

"Well thanks anyway. Do you mind finding the missing supplies on your own? I want to talk to everyone else about this," Lee said, looking over at the couch where Kenny and Katjaa were sitting.

"Of course, go do what you need to do," Dallas told him. Lee nodded to him and walked away, leaving Dallas standing alone. He waited there for a few minutes before walking towards Clementine , before Duck jumped in front of him, blocking his path.

"I found the broken glass!" Duck exclaimed, looking quite proud of himself.

"That's great Duck, but could you just-" Dallas began to say, trying to move around him.

"Come on, let's go," Duck said, grabbing Dallas by the sleeve, dragging him away from Clementine. Knowing he didn't have much choice, he decided to put it off once again, thinking that getting this out of the way would leave time for him to finally have that conversation with her. Hopefully this didn't take too long.

* * *

**I thought I would make up for the mishap with the previous chapter and give you guys another one :3**

**This is just so playful, I love Duck so much, isn't he awesome?**

**Anyway, the next chapter is a fun one, I hated myself a little after writing it though :c**

**The chapter is called **_Shattered Safety _**So I hope you are all ready for some tough times, because death is at the door.**

**Anyway, farewell for now fellow fanfickers :D**


	26. Chapter 26 - Shattered Safety

Dallas was dragged all the way over to the other side of the courtyard, being pulled towards the ice machine. When Duck finally let go of his sleeve, Dallas looked around, wondering what he was supposed to be looking at.

"What am I looking at here?" he asked, giving Duck a hard look.

"There, on the ground, I found the broken glass," Duck said proudly, pointing at the ground, near Clementine's chalk drawing. Lying scattered on the ground, was indeed, broken glass, which was probably from the flashlight.

"Good job Duck," Dallas said, ruffling his hair, making him grin widely. Dallas knelt down to pick up one of the pieces of glass, comparing it to the broken glass of the flashlight, finding that it fit perfectly. After dropping the piece of glass back to the ground, he followed the small trail around the corner, finding something strange. On the wall, at eye level, was a large, pink X, drawn in chalk it seemed.

"Pink? Hmm…" Duck said, scratching his chin in thought.

"You know where I could find some pink chalk?" Dallas asked, turning to his young companion.

"I think Clementine was the last one with the chalk. Maybe she knows something," Duck theorised, sticking his finger into the air, like he just had an epiphany.

"Maybe she does. You keep investigating, and I'll go question the suspect," Dallas said, playing along with Duck.

"Of course, Master Detective Dallas," Duck said, bowing to him, before running off to continue looking around. Dallas made his way over to Clementine, who had already started on her next picture, her previous one sitting nearby.

"Hey Clem, you finished you picture?" he asked once he was closer.

"Yeah I did, it's of our group, as one big family," she said happily, displaying her work with pride.

"That's great. Listen, do you mind if I ask-" Dallas began to say, before she slapped the picture back down and picked up the one she was currently drawing.

"I've nearly finished this one of me and you," she told him, showing Dallas a nearly finished drawing of him and her standing under the sun, holding hands.

"That's really good. Now Clem, before you show me anything else, I wanted to ask if you if you have any pink chalk," Dallas inquired, holding her gaze, making sure she didn't avert her eyes for even a second.

"I did, but I don't know where it is anymore. I could give you blue instead?" she asked, her eyes telling him that she was sincere.

"No, it's okay, I was just wondering, thanks though," he said, standing back up, feeling a tap on his arm. He turned around to be greeted by Duck, who looked to be, once again, quite proud of himself.

"I found the missing pink chalk," he announced, pulling out said chalk to hand to him.

"That's great Duck, but where did you find it?" he questioned, rolling the chalk around in his hand.

"It was stuck under the gate, with a scuff mark under it," Duck answered, leading the way over to the gate. Following closely behind, Dallas saw what Duck was talking about, as they slowly approached the gate. Duck reached the gate first and stood next to it, sticking his hand up for a high five. Thinking that he might as well humour him, he was doing a good job after all, Dallas slapped his hand against Duck's, that same goofy grin forming on his face once more. Dallas moved over to the gate and examined the chalk line, following the trail, until it disappeared underneath the gate. He pulled the gate it open and followed the trail out, looking along either side.

"Good job Duck," Dallas said, turning around to smile at him.

"Thanks. Let's go investigate," Duck said, moving to go outside the gate, before Dallas stopped him, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck, pulling him back.

"You wait here okay? I won't be long," Dallas said, stepping out, leaving a pouting Duck behind. He moved along the wall slowly, examining everything that he could as he made his way down the sidewalk. As he walked, he looked at the multiple arrows sticking out of the fence, deciding to take them all out so that he could have some extra ammo, every little bit helps. Once he had collected all the arrows that he could find, he continued along the wall and saw a loose grate nearby, the front of it looking like it was about to fall off. He walked over to it and took off the front, to reveal a small, brown paper bag sitting inside. Dallas picked it up and looked inside and, sure enough, inside were a bunch of meds and bandages, confirming Lilly's suspicions. Cursing under his breath, Dallas walked back to the courtyard of the motor inn, closing the gate behind him. He quickly ran over to his room and put the arrows he collected in the bag with the rest, next making a beeline for Lilly's room. Lee saw Dallas walking for Lilly's room and quickly ran over to him. Dallas explained what happened with finding the meds and where he found them, before entering into Lilly's room.

"You didn't find anything, did you?" Lilly asked, looking more defeated than usual.

"On the contrary, I found this," Dallas said triumphantly, handing the paper bag over to her. "As you can see, there are a shit load of our meds in there. I found it outside the fence, in a loose grate, like it was waiting to get picked up or something."

"Mother fucker," Lilly swore, suddenly jumping to her feet.

"What should we do?" he asked, glancing at Lee to see how he was taking things.

"We have to line them all up. Every one of them. We need to figure out who did this, now," Lilly said, pacing back and forth.

"Are you sure that's the best idea?" Lee asked, looking sceptical.

"Somebody is killing us," Lilly snapped, making Lee step away from her. "Whoever is doing this might as well be coming up behind us and slitting our throats."

"But what if-" Dallas began to argue, before Lilly turned on him.

"What is the difference Dallas? What would happen if Clementine got sick? We wouldn't have the meds to help her because-" Lilly began to cut in, before she herself cut short, looking out the window.

"What's wrong?" Lee asked, following her gaze out the window, Dallas following suit.

"You don't fucking steal from us!" Outside, gathering up the rest of the group, was a small group of bandits, each of them pointing a gun at one of the group.

"Who the fuck are they?" Lee exclaimed, ducking down to the ground, to make sure they couldn't see him.

"Whoever they are, they have our people captive out there, we have to help them," Dallas said, making a move for the door.

"Wait!" Lilly said, running over to pick up her gun, turning around to look at Dallas and Lee. "They are gonna start kicking in doors soon, we need to get out of here."

"And what do you suggest we do?" Lee asked, peeking out the window.

"I need you to stall them," she replied, moving over to the nearby open window.

"What?" Lee asked, looking shocked.

"Just keep them talking Lee. Dallas and I will take the two separate balconies and attack them from there. Come on Dallas," she replied, gesturing for Dallas to follow her. Giving Lee one last look, Dallas followed Lilly out the window, just as he heard Lee open the door.

"Enough of this bullshit! Drew, start putting your boot to these doors!" Dallas heard one of the men shout, as he stood by the wall with Lilly.

"Go grab your gun, crossbow and arrows, just in case we need to get out of her quickly. Once you have them, wait for my signal, and we will start firing at them. Got it?" she asked, looking directly into Dallas' eyes.

"Got it," he replied, shuffling around the corner to move to the nearby stairs, quietly climbing up them, as he listened to the conversation nearby.

"Hold it asshole!" one of the bandits said, pointing his gun at Lee. Dallas the door to his room and quickly slipped inside, slinging his crossbow and arrows over his back, deciding to use the gun instead.

"Take it easy," Dallas heard Lee say, once he came back out of his room. "Why are you doing this to us? Just leave us alone, no one had to get hurt."

"Why? This fucking guy, why? Because we gotta, that's why!" the man shouted, his aim on his gun unwavering. Dallas moved close to the edge of the balcony, while still remaining out of sight, waiting for Lilly to give the signal.

"What will it take to reach a deal?" Lee tried, slowly stepping towards the man, who was obviously the leader of this small group of bandits.

"'Bout twice as much as you been giving us should sweeten the deal," the man replied, his voice coming down in tone a little, Dallas noticed. Dallas looked over to the other balcony and saw Lilly moving into position, knowing it meant it was almost time to fight.

"You got. Done," Lee said quickly, still taking small paces towards his captor.

"…is that so?" the man questioned, putting his gun down. Lilly moved into position, and put up her hand, telling Dallas to wait. "Well, I suppose we had better hash out some terms."

"I don't like no hash," the man beside him said, the first man turning to him in anger. Lilly turned her hand into a fist and aimed her gun, placing her finger on the trigger, while Dallas did the same.

"Shut up or I'll-" the man began to threaten, before a gunshot rang out through the courtyard, a big red hole suddenly appearing in his head, thanks to Lilly. Before either of his companions could react, the woman standing to his right also got a bullet in the head, this one from Dallas. Everyone started running away, moving over to the closest bit of cover they could find, hoping to escape the chaos that was about to ensue. Carley quickly rolled over to her own gun, picking it up and jumping to her feet, letting off two shots of her own, before she ran out, leaving no other bandits in the courtyard. Unfortunately, this didn't last long, as more bandits emerged from the forest, firing off their own guns at the group. Lee started firing his own pistol at the emerging assailants, as he ran back to hid behind the RV. Some bandits pushed open the gate so that they could enter, while other continued to let off a cascade of bullets on the group. Dallas saw Ben try to make a run for the RV, but was forced to run back to cover when he a bullet flew right past his head. Dallas turned his attention to one of the running bandits, sighting and shooting him as he thought it would be a good idea to start moving to the next cover. Another one tried to do the same thing and Lilly managed to kill him, smirking at Dallas. Unfortunately, since her attention was on Dallas at the time, see didn't see one of the bandits moving her way. He aimed his gun right at her, just as Dallas noticed him, aiming his own gun. Both shot at the same time, and the man fell down, Dallas successfully killing him. He looked over to see if Lilly was okay, but was horrified at what he saw. When the man had shot up at her, he managed to hit her in the side head, causing her to fall backward onto the ground, her lifeless eyes staring at Dallas. He had to force himself to look away, watching Carley and Ben run over to the RV to take cover, the former pulling out her gun once more, ready to help Dallas and Lee, having seen what just happened.

"Thanks man," Ben called up to Dallas, a sad look on his face, as he jumped into the RV.

"Help!" Dallas looked over to the other side of the RV to see Katjaa, Duck and Clementine, all of them hiding behind cover as more bandits flowed into the courtyard.

"Lee, keep covering this side. Carley, you and I will get the ones over her," he shouted down, firing at one of the bandits hiding behind the gate, getting a clean shot right through his forehead. He watched Carley move to the other side of the RV and start shooting at the oncoming bandits, trying to make it safe for Katjaa, Duck and Clementine, who were all looking scared, to approach. As Dallas shot at another of the bandits, getting him through the heart, he heard one of the bandits scream, and was dismayed at what had got him. A walker was slowly devouring the bandit, it's teeth ripping into the man's soft skin easily, as the dead man fired off shots, while he slowly died. Carley killed another of the oncoming bandits, while Dallas killed another, leaving only one more bandit to take care of. Carley glanced up at Dallas and winked at him, giving him a quick message, turning to fire at the remaining bandit. She fired right near his head on purpose, making him run to the next cover, allowing Dallas to finish him off.

"Come on Clementine!" Dallas heard Lee shout, as he watched the thing most precious to him in this world ran to the RV, right into Lee's arms.

"Where's Dallas?" he heard her ask, as she looked around for him frantically.

"I'm up here Clem, don't worry. Just get in the RV, quickly!" Dallas called down. Clementine stole a quick glance up at him, a relieved look covering her face, before she ran into the RV, allowing Dallas to shift his attention back to Katjaa and Duck. He turned just in time to see a walker come up behind Katjaa, knocking both her and Duck to the ground, both of them hitting it hard. Without hesitation, Dallas aimed his gun at the walker and shot it right through the head, killing it instantly.

"Kat, oh Christ!" he heard Kenny curse, as he watched him run out of the RV and over to his wife. Katjaa pushed the dead body off of the top of her and started getting to her feet, as Kenny helped both her and Duck get to their feet. They ran back over to the RV as Dallas continued to fire at both walkers and bandits alike, still feeling the burn of Lilly's death in his mind.

"Dallas, come on let's go!" Lee called up, shooting at one of the walkers, as Carley did the same.

"Hurry up boy, we don't have all day!" Kenny agreed, disappearing back into the RV.

"Not until I kill these fuckers!" Dallas screamed, shooting down two walkers with one shot, moving on to kill another bandit, who was retreating into the forest. Dallas, Lee and Carley continued to fire at the oncoming walkers, since all the bandits were now either dead or had run away, knowing they were fighting a losing battle. Dallas heard the engine of the RV start up, and saw Carley put her gun away and run over to the RV, running inside.

"Dallas, this is your last chance young man. Get your ass down here, before I have to come up and get you!" Lee yelled, sounding almost like a father shouting at his son. Relenting, Dallas slung his gun over his shoulder and ran over to the stairs, taking each step two at a time. When he reached the ground, a walker started walking towards him, blocking his path to the RV. He swiftly pulled out his hunting knife and stabbed it right in the head, continuing his run to the RV. Just as Dallas jumped into the RV, closing the door behind him, Kenny sped away, hitting walkers as he went. They rammed right through the dumpster gates and drove down the street, leaving behind the place they had once called home.

* * *

**...so...that happened...**

**Please don't hate me, it felt right at the time, I'm sorry :c I still love you all you, you are beautiful people, and I will understand if you can't go on any longer...**

**Either way, I hope it was an enjoyable chapter, because I both love and hate it, so yeah :D**

**Also, I want to hear everyone's opinions on being called: Bookies of Awesomeness. I'll just call you my bookies when I address newbs and current bookies. Thoughts?**

**Farewell for now fellow fanfickers :D**


	27. Chapter 27 - It Happened Again

Everyone in the RV was silent as they drove along the road. No one was sure what they could say to ease the tension. All in one day, they had been attacked by bandits, overrun by walkers, lost their home and, to top it all off, Lilly had died in the fight. Dallas still couldn't believe it had happened, especially at that speed. One minute, he was looking at her smirking face, one of the few times she had smiled since Larry had died. The next, she was lying down on her side, her eyes void of the life that once filled them. If he hadn't been up there helping, if she hadn't looked at him, she might still be alive right now. If he weren't around, she might not have died. It had happened again. First, he lost Sandra, then he had no choice but to kill that girl, then he had put Clementine in danger at the dairy, and now he was to blame for Lilly's death. What else was there waiting to be put on his record of screw ups? Clementine was currently sitting next to him at the back over the RV, looking up at him worriedly, as she watched his blank stare, his eyes shifting every couple of seconds. Carley and Lee were sitting at one of the seat a metre or so away, the former, leaning her head on Lee's shoulder, while he wrapped a comforting arm around her. Ben was sitting nearby as well, his head in his hands, repeatedly cursing under his breath. Kenny was watching the road while he drove, every so often glancing at his wife and son, who were sitting in the seat across from him. The atmosphere in the RV was quite sombre, a dramatic change to how they had been not fifteen minutes ago.

"Dallas? Are you okay?" Clementine asked, lightly pulling on his sleeve. He looked down at her, staring into her big brown eyes, his own full of sorrow and regret.

"No Clem, I'm not," he replied, letting his head fall against the wall behind him. Knowing that he probably needed some comfort, Clementine crawled into his lap and enclosed her arms around his neck, nuzzling her head into his neck.

"It'll be okay, it has to," she told him, a few stray tears falling from her eyes, sliding down Dallas' neck. He wrapped his own arms around her, letting her warmth engulf him, while he tried not to think about the events that had just transpired. Silence fell over the RV again, even more so now, since Ben had stopped cursing and was now looking out the window, watching the scenery fly past.

"Well, we're lucky to have this RV," Kenny said, breaking the silence.

"Lilly wasn't so lucky though," Ben whispered, getting a glare from Carley, he motioned over to Dallas, who's eyes just opened at Ben's comment.

"Make's Kat's slit open head pale in comparison I guess," Kenny joked, trying to lighten the mood, but failing.

"It's all my fault." Everyone turned to look at Dallas, who had stood up from his seat. He started moving along up the RV, moving towards the more populated area.

"Those assholes had our number for weeks, you can't blame yourself son," Kenny called back, looking in the review mirror to look at him.

"No, I mean Lilly. It's my fault she died," Dallas said, leaning against the cabinet, standing next to Ben, who was still sitting down.

"No it's not Dallas, you couldn't have known that would happen. Besides, we at least have an idea of why we were attacked in the first place," Lee said, looking at everyone in the car.

"What do you mean?" Ben asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"Somebody was taking our meds and giving them to the bandits. Since they didn't get their most recent package, they decided to take it by force," Lee explained, crossing his arms.

"That's nuts, who would be stupid enough to do something like that?" Kenny asked, glancing back at everyone for a second.

"Dallas found a bag of meds outside the fence, hidden in a loose grate," Lee replied, looking to Dallas for confirmation, who nodded his agreement.

"It's true, I did," he deadpanned, looking down at his feet.

"So, is there anything anyone wants to tell us?" Lee asked, looking at everyone around him.

"You seriously think one of us did this?" Carley snapped, looking at Lee with anger in her eyes, a slight bit of hurt flashing briefly.

"I never said that. I trust you guys, don't worry," Lee assured her, giving her a crooked smile, which seemed to satisfy her.

"So who did it then?" Ben asked, looking fearful.

"Honestly, I'm not sure, it could've been anyone," Dallas said, sliding down to sit on the ground. They drove for another couple of minutes, before the RV hit a bump in the road, making Kenny have to stop the car.

"Shit, something's caught in the wheel," he cursed, getting out of his seat and moving towards the door, throwing it open to get out.

"Let's all get out for some fresh air, who knows how long we will be driving for," Lee announced, leading everyone out of the RV, Kat and Duck staying behind. Kenny moved over to the front wheel to get rid of whatever was in the wheel, letting everyone breath in the night air. Dallas walked away a little to look back down the road, studying the landscape as he did so. He heard footsteps approach behind him, and turned around to be greeted by Carley, who had a grim smile on her face.

"How you doing?" she asked, moving to stand beside him.

"As well as you can be when you witnessed a friend die right before your eyes," Dallas replied, choosing not to look at her.

"You know you can't beat yourself up over that right? Lee is right, you're not to blame for what happened to her, she died fighting," Carley told him.

"If I had shot that guy quicker, she would still be alive right now, she would still be with us," Dallas said, looking into the darkness of the forest.

"And what if she was still alive? Do you think she would've let this stealing thing go unpunished? She would've gone on a witch hunt to find out who did this, after what just happened," Carley told him, placing her hand on his shoulder reassuringly, which he shook off almost instantly.

"So what? At least she would be alive," he snapped, taking a step away from her. Being fed up with his attitude, Carley grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around, slapping him in the face, gaining everyone's attention.

"Stop being such an idiot. She is dead, it is done, it is in the past. All you can do is keep moving forward. If you keep dwelling on the past, you will never be able to get anywhere in your life. Got it?" she exclaimed, moving up close to his face, to make sure he got the message. He stared into her hazel eyes, knowing that what she was saying was true. After a few seconds, he fell into her arms and started to cry, letting the tears flow right out of him.

"I'm so sorry. I know I shouldn't blame myself, but we have lost to many people, and I just couldn't handle losing another one," he bawled, tears staining Carley's purple jacket.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, let it all out," she crooned, patting his back gently. Everyone looked on sadly, never having really seen this kind of emotion from Dallas before, never truly seeing him this vulnerable. Clementine stuck her head out of the RV and saw Dallas crying, instantly running over to check on him, and putting her arms around both him and Carley in the process. Feeling like it was the right thing to do, everyone, including Kenny, who had pulled a walker out of the wheel, walked over to the shivering form of Dallas, all of them getting into a group hug, sharing the comfort that he needed.

"Come on everyone, let's get going," Kenny said after a few minutes. Everyone pulled out of the hug and followed him over to the RV, everyone piling into it, except for Clementine and Dallas. Clementine took Dallas by the hand and yanked it slightly, making him look down at her.

"Feel better now?" she asked, leading him over to the RV.

"Much better." Once they were back inside and seated, Kenny started up the RV and drove away, continuing down the street. Everyone sat around the RV in silence once more, but this time, the atmosphere was lighter, everyone feeling a little bit better.

"So, what's the plan now?" Ben asked, looking between Lee and Dallas, who looked at each other.

"Why are you asking us?" Dallas questioned, looking at Carley, who was nodding in agreement.

"After Lilly, it was you guys that did most of the planning, with some help from Kenny. With her gone, we need some sort of stable leadership," Carley agreed, smiling at Lee, who smiled back at her.

"Well, I guess we should go to the coast, find a boat and get out of here, like Kenny originally planned. It's the only plan that we really have at the moment," Lee said, looking at Kenny in the driver's seat.

"And I still hold to that plan. If we follow this road, we should make it to the coast in a day or so," Kenny called back, looking at the group in the review mirror.

"When we arrive, we can figure out where to go from there. For now, everyone get some rest, we have quite a drive ahead of us," Dallas said. Everyone moved to a different part of the RV to sleep in, everyone falling asleep instantly. Lee and Carley went to the back and slept side by side, the latter resting her head on Lee's shoulder once more, as she closed her eyes. Ben sat back in his previous seat and closed his own eyes, nodding off to sleep easily. Clementine sat at the couch near the front of the RV, waiting for Dallas to join her, not looking quite tired yet.

"Dallas, could you come here for a moment?" Katjaa asked from the front of the RV.

"I'll be right back Clem," Dallas said, moving to the front. When he reached Kenny, Katjaa and Duck, he sat on the dash between them, looking at Katjaa. "What's going on?"

"We just wanted to see how you were doing," Katjaa replied, looking over at him. Dallas looked back at her, but noticed that Duck didn't seem to well, his face looking quite pale.

"Is Duck doing okay?" he asked, looking between Kenny and Katjaa. They exchanged a look with each other, before Katjaa lifted up Duck's shirt slightly, revealing a bite sized mark in his side. "Fuck."

"Happened during the attack," Kenny said, not taking his eyes off of the road.

"What are we going to do? We haven't had to face something like this before," Dallas stated, looking at Duck worriedly.

"I'm going to watch over him for now, look at him with from a medical point of view," Katjaa replied, gently stroking her son's hair.

"That's all we can do for now," Kenny agreed, glancing at his son.

"Guys…" Dallas trailed off, crossing his arms.

"We can't do much else Dallas. We just thought you should know, just in case," Katjaa said, looking down at her sick son.

"Why me? Why not Lee?" Dallas asked, confused why they would trust a teen over an adult.

"You've been watchin' over both Clementine and Duck over these past three months, you have basically become an older brother to him. Like I said before, you're family now. You should never keep secrets from your family," Kenny answered, finally looking at Dallas, a small smile on his face.

"Would you mind telling Clementine for us, since the two of you are so close?" Katjaa asked, rubbing her son's back now.

"Of course I can. I don't know how she will take it, but I'll tell her. Take care guys." Dallas got off of the dash and moved out of the front of the RV, moving back to Clementine, who had tucked her legs underneath herself. Taking a deep breath, Dallas sat down next to her, letting her shuffle over so that she could rest her head in his lap.

"Duck's bitten, isn't he?' she asked, curling up a little in Dallas' laps, as he began to stroke her hair comfortingly.

"Yeah, he is. He got bit when we were escaping the motor inn," Dallas told her, looking down at her innocent face.

"I don't feel good," she said, looking back at him, her eyes filling with tears.

"I know Clem, I don't either," he told her, lifting her up to hug her.

"What about Lilly?" she asked, digging her head into his neck once more.

"We didn't even have a chance to bury her, we left so fast," he told her, holding her closely.

"At least she won't come back," Clementine pointed out, sniffling loudly in his ear.

"That is a plus I guess," he agreed. The two of them sat there in silence for another couples of minutes, just trying to comfort each other as much as they could. Before long, Clementine got out of Dallas' lap and sat beside him, resting her head on his shoulder, mirroring Carley and Lee. "I'm glad I have you."

"Me too. You know, when you were holding Sandra for those few days after she died, I was thinking of hitting you over the head with a fry pan to snap you out of it" Clementine told him, smiling up at Dallas, her previous mood vanishing.

"Now why would you do that?" he asked jokingly, nudging her in the side playfully.

"Because I was scared I had lost you. Apart from my parents, you and Sandra were the only other family I knew," Clementine replied, going back to resting her head.

"Well I'm glad I have you as my family, that's for sure," he said, resting his own head on hers.

"Goodnight," Clementine said, slowly drifting off to sleep, a smile still on her face as she did so. Dallas started to fall asleep himself, but his eyes jerked open when he heard a drop of water fall from the nearby faucet. He looked around the RV to look at Ben, who was still sound asleep, and at Carley and Lee, who had moved closer together in their sleep. Dallas looked down at Clementine's peaceful form, still sleeping soundly against his chest. The next thing he knew however, she was waking up and she brought her head up to face Dallas, her eyes almost glowing, while blood dripped from her mouth.

"What the hell?!" Dallas yelled, falling backwards while Clementine gnashed her jaws right in his face. He tried his best to push her off, but she was just too strong for him, as her teeth inched closer and closer to his neck. The next thing he knew, Dallas' eyes shot open, a small bit of light protruding through the nearby window. He looked down at Clementine, who was still sleeping soundly on his chest. Breathing a sigh of relief, he looked over at Ben again, who looked like he was still asleep. He then looked over to Lee and Carley, who were quietly talking, laughing at something the other said every so often. Looks like Dallas was right, they were so going to hook up.

"There's something in the road blockin' our path," Kenny called back, lightly hitting the breaks. Dallas got up from his seat, being careful not to wake Dallas as he did so. He moved over to Ben and shook him awake, also motioning to Lee and Carley that they should probably get up. Soon, the RV came to a complete stop, Clementine being jolted awake at the sudden jerk as the RV was turned off. Dallas opened the door and jumped out, being closely followed by Ben, Lee, Carley and then Clementine, while Kenny, Katjaa and Duck got out of their respective doors at the front. In front of them, stopping the RV from travelling any further, was a train.

"Well. Isn't this peachy?"

* * *

**This was sort of a feels kind of Chapter, I thought it was needed. I hope it sounded right, and didn't sound to forced :)**

**So yeah, wow, things can only go downhill from here, I'll assume you all know what is on the way...**

**Prepare, for the FEELS CHAPTERS OF DEATH!**

**Anyway, farewell for now fellow fanfickers :D (or my Bookies of Awesomeness)**


	28. Chapter 28 - Train Ride Anyone?

"So, can you guys see any way around this?" Ben asked. It wasn't that long ago that the group had been forced to leave the motor inn, after they were attacked by bandits. Not only had they lost their home, they also lost Lilly, they fearless leader, leaving Lee and Dallas to lead the group from now on. They had been driving down the road in the RV, hoping to make it to the coast, but they had come across a new problem. A train was blocking their path, hindering the strong progress they had been making.

"Doesn't look like there is. We could walk, but I don't think we can afford to do that right now," Kenny replied, examining the train closely.

"At least this place is safe. All the thick underbrush will stop anything from sneaking up on us," Dallas pointed out, gesturing to the forest on either side of them. Nearby, Katjaa was helping Duck over to one of the logs nearby, as Clementine looked on, a sad look on her face as she followed behind, her purple backpack bobbing up and down on her back. Dallas frowned as he watched her, hating seeing her so unhappy.

"Why don't you and I go look around?" Ben asked Dallas, motioning to the train.

"Sounds like a good idea," Dallas agreed, turning around to face everyone.

"I'll go up and check out the front of the train, see if this thing is still running, you boys can search the area," Lee said, turning to address the rest of the group, before Dallas beat him to it.

"Everyone stay here and rest a little more, and Clem, sit with Kenny and Katjaa while we're looking around okay?" Everyone in the group nodded, beginning to quietly talk. Carley sat on a log by herself, examining her gun, while Kenny and Katjaa quietly talked, gesturing to Duck every so often. Clementine pulled some paper out of her backpack and started drawing, going back to her usual routine.

"If you boys come across anything to drink while you're looking around, that would be great. Duck's a little dehydrated at the moment," Katjaa said, rubbing her son's back, trying to help him feel better.

"It's a freighter hon, not a luxury train," Kenny said, shaking his head. "Be careful in there you guys."

"Before careful? Inside an abandoned locomotive that could potentially have something dangerous in it? Thought never crossed my mind," Dallas said sarcastically, smirking at Kenny as he walked away. Before going to meet Lee up at the front of the train, Dallas walked over to Ben, who was examining the connection between the train and the train car behind it.

"What's up?" Ben asked, turning around to greet his friend.

"Just coming to check up on you, to see how you're going with all that has happened," Dallas said, getting a strange look in return.

"I'm fine I guess. I mean, Lilly died, so that's bad. I don't know, I guess I'm just in a neutral kind of mood," Ben told him, avoiding Dallas's gaze, like he had back at the motor inn.

"Are you still sure you have nothing to tell me?" Dallas asked, trying to meet Ben's eyes.

"I'm sure, don't worry. We better keep looking around," Ben said quickly, going back to examining the train car connection. Deciding that he would get something out of him later, Dallas pulled himself up to the door to the box car, opening it and entering. Closing the door behind him, he looked around the room, noticing that the place looked lived in. There were empty cans of food scattered on the floor, a lawn chair set up at the back of the car and there was even a mattress lying on the floor, multiple stains covering the already dirty material. As Dallas approached the little set up to get a better look, the sliding door nearby was opened, to reveal Ben on the other side.

"I think it's safe to say someone's been living here," Dallas said, waiting for Ben to come up and join him.

"Yeah, but shit man. Do you think they're still alive?" Ben asked, sitting down in the chair to see how stable it was.

"Let's hope so. It looks like it was used recently though, so just be on the lookout while you're looking around," Dallas said, moving to the other door to look outside. Ben nodded his head and jumped back outside, continuing his own search. Dallas noticed a bottle of water sitting nearby and picked it up, sticking it in his pocket, so that he could give it to Duck once he was finished searching. He also saw a clipboard lying on the ground close by, sitting on top of some newspapers. On closer inspection, Dallas found that it was a map of where the train can go, one of the routes leading to the coast. Savannah was at the end of the track, the place where Clementine's parents were meant to be. Could they still be there? Pushing the thought aside, he turned around and went back out the door he came in, this time crossing across to the train, rather than going down to the ground. On his way to the front of the train, he opened up all the compartments on the way, checking to see what was inside. When he got to the second one, he found a couple of tools inside, all of them looking heavy enough to knock some heads together. Deciding he might as well expand his arsenal, he picked up the monkey wrench, slipping it into his belt. He moved up to the front of the train and opened the door, seeing Lee examining all of the controls. Before he had a chance to say anything, he noticed a dead body lying on the ground, the poor souls' head looking like it was bashed in.

"I can't figure out what to do," Lee said, drawing Dallas' attention. After having his own scan of the controls, Dallas saw something that made him laugh, making Lee give him a strange look.

"Did you try pushing the big, flashing button?" he asked, pressing said button. As if on cue, the train came to life, the sound of creaking and steam escaping the train filling the air.

"What did you do?" Lee asked, staring at Dallas' in bewilderment.

"It was just the break," Dallas said nonchalantly, moving over to the wall of controls behind him.

"One point Dallas, zero Lee," Lee joked, making both of them laugh.

"So this thing actually works?" Kenny asked, stepping in from outside, standing beside Lee.

"Looks that way," Lee replied, examining the wall of buttons in front of him.

"Thank god. How the hell do ya reckon we get this tin can movin'?" Kenny questioned, sitting in the driver's seat.

"There have to be some instructions on how to run it somewhere around here," Dallas answered, looking around the hold. He handed the map he found before to Kenny for examine.

"This thing tells us where the train goes. Things are certainly looking up," Kenny commented, following some of the lines along the map.

"What about Duck?" Dallas asked, getting a confused look from Lee.

"What about him?" Kenny retorted, not looking at Dallas.

"You can't keep acting like nothing has happened to him," Dallas told him, placing a hand on his shoulder, which Kenny shoved off straight away.

"We won't act like he's going to die either," Kenny snapped, turning to look at him.

"Okay, fine, whatever. I'm going to go get rid of this body," Dallas said, picking up the dead body and dragging it out of the room, dropping it on the ground outside.

"Ben, go watch the girls and Duck, make sure they're safe. Lee and I'll try and make sense of these damned controls," Dallas heard Kenny say. Dallas turned to go back inside, when he noticed an abandoned car nearby and jumped out to search it, seeing a walker squirming around inside. Looking through the window, he noticed a box of crackers on the ground at the walker's feet, also realising that it was strapped down by the seat belt. He opened the door and readied himself, watching the walker carefully. Not wasting anytime, Dallas reached over and pressed the release on the seat belt, letting the walker move towards him. Just as it was about to fall out of the car, Dallas slammed the door into its head, making its head concave, killing it. Pulling the body out of the car, he reached in and picked up the box of shapes, shoving them into his spare pocket. Closing the door, Dallas went back over to the train and went up the ladder, going back into the front hold.

"We find anything yet?" he asked, walking over to Kenny, who was standing behind Kenny.

"There's a notepad here," Lee replied, coming around to point at a notepad hanging nearby. "I can kinda see the indentions from previous notes, but it's hard to make out"

"If we could get a pencil or something, we might be able to see it better," Dallas theorised, trying to think where he might find a pencil.

"Could ask Clementine if she has anything we could use," Lee suggested looking out the window to look at the little girl.

"I think I remember seeing a pencil in the front of the RV on the way here, I can just go grab that," Dallas said, moving over to the door and exiting. Before he went over to the RV however, he walked over to Katjaa first, noticing that Duck looked a lot worse than before.

"Did you boys find anything in there?" Katjaa asked, holding Duck as close as she could.

"I found some water and some animal crackers for him, some to nourish for a while," Dallas replied, pulling both the bottle of water and said animal crackers out of his pockets.

"You are a life saver Dallas, thank you," Katjaa said, taking the items from him. She began to give Duck a drink, waiting for him to open his mouth before she started pouring water down his throat. "He's allergic to bee."

"Really? So am I," Dallas smiled, kneeling down to look at Duck, who tried giving him a weak smile when Katjaa stopped giving him water.

"It's one of those random things that I can't stop thinking about, like that kind of thing matters," Katjaa told Dallas, looking down at her son sadly.

"Well, maybe it does, it's nice to think about those kinds of things, because then it will lead to happier memories," Dallas pointed out, making Katjaa smile.

"Thank you Dallas, I don't know what we would do without you in this god forsaken world," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You wouldn't have someone to babysit Duck," Dallas joked, standing up. Katjaa laughed lightly before going back to giving Duck a drink, focusing on him once more. Next, Dallas walked over to Clementine and sat on the ground next to her, watching her rubbing on a piece of paper.

"Hi Dallas," she said, sounding happy, while a sad look crossed her face.

"What're you doing there?" Dallas asked, watching her do her picture.

"I'm doing my leaf rubbings, you get a leaf and colour over it, so the outline comes out when you colour on the paper," Clementine explained, showing him a finished example.

"That's pretty cool. Did you by chance find that inside the RV?" Dallas asked, pointing to the pencil in her hand.

"Yes, I did. Why?" she asked, looking at him in confusion.

"Would you mind if I borrowed that?" I'll give it back to you when I'm done, I promise," Dallas said, jokingly putting his hand over his chest.

"Okay then," Clementine giggled, handing him the pencil. She dug around in her bag and managed to find another pencil, allowing her to continue her picture. Dallas stood up from the ground and moved back to the front of the train, making his way into the hold. He moved around to where the notepad was and picked it up, pulling the pencil out to start rubbing across it. Before long, the instructions were revealed, allowing Dallas to show off his handiwork to the two man nearby.

"Here we are," Dallas said proudly, handing the instructions over to Lee for him and Kenny to look at.

"Should be able to follow these steps and the engine will turn on, allowing us to keep going," Lee said, examining the instructions closely. He moved over to the nearby wall and started moving some switches around, as Kenny and Dallas looked on. Once he switched on the final switch, the rest of the board lit up as well, with Lee turning around to look at his friends triumphantly.

"Don't get to cocky, we still have the rest of it to do," Kenny joked, nudging his friend in the side. Lee moved over to the other side of the board and turned some more switches, making a small green light turn on next to it.

"One last step to go," Lee announced, moving to the nearby door.

"I'll go do that," Dallas offered, taking the instructions off of Lee before he could head outside, going out himself. He moved over to the furthest doors along the way, opening them to look inside. He looked at the instructions again, before finding the corresponding switch. First, he turned it to the left, then he waited and turned it to the right, being rewarded with the sound of the engine roaring to life. Kenny and Lee stepped out of the train's hold nearby, both of them beaming at Dallas.

"Looks like we're ready to go," Kenny said happily, patting Dallas and Lee on the back.

"Finally something good has happened to us," Dallas said, patting Kenny's back in return.

"Let's fucking enjoy this, this is a real step forward," Kenny agreed, letting go of his friends.

"Come on guys, let's see if she will get moving," Lee said, leading his two companions back inside.

"Here we go," Dallas said, reaching to pull what he assumed to be the start up. The train began to move, but jerked to a stop, meaning something was stopping them from going anywhere.

"God dammit," Kenny cursed, sitting down in the seat. "We're still attached to the rest of the train, we won't be going anywhere until we disconnect," Kenny said, hitting the window beside him.

"I'll go and try to get us loose," Dallas said, leaving the hold once more. He made his way back into the box car, moving past the living area and down onto the ground. He followed the train along until he found what he was looking for, the coupler bar, the thing that was holding the train in place. He moved over to it and pulled out his monkey wrench and attached it to the bar, heaving it as hard as he could causing the yellow connector to come up. He pulled it out and stored the wrench back in his belt, making his way back into the boxcar. Before he had a chance to get out the other side, he heard a voice nearby.

"You touch any of my stuff?"

* * *

**Just a little bit of a filler chapter I think, nothing really exciting in this one.**

**I'm thinking another two maybe, so then I can moved the story along, since I've ended the chapters for episode 3 already ^_^**

**I've started on Episode 4 as well, so it's getting exciting :D**

**Another chapter of my Mass Effect fanfic has been written as well, but I want to get well into that before I start posting :P**

**Finally, I shall soon be beginning the origin stories, so expect those soon ^_^**

**Anywho, see you soon Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	29. Chapter 29 - Listen to Me!

"You touch any of my stuff?" Upon hearing this voice, Dallas jumped back in surprise, pulling his hunting knife out on instinct, to face the intruder. He was looking at an older man, looking a little older than Larry, but he had grimy clothes, marking him as homeless, or as homeless as you can be in this world.

"Who are you?" Dallas asked, giving the man a hard stare.

"Woah son, no need to get violent, put the knife away before you poke someone's eye out," Chuck said, shaking his head at the youth.

"I'll ask again, who are you?" Dallas questioned once more, lowering his knife a little.

"I'm the man that owns this stuff, if you must know. I guess it's no worse for wear." the man replied, walking over to stand next to Dallas, while looking at the living area. "Name's Chuck. Charles if you like that fancy shit."

"Dallas," Dallas replied, putting his knife away, while still remaining cautious.

"That your group out there?" Chuck asked, turning to face Dallas.

"It sure is," he replied, glancing to look at his friends.

"What about the guys up in the hold of the train?" he asked, gesturing his head to the side.

"Them as well," Dallas said, crossing his arms.

"I saw you walking around through hear, and thought about scaring the pants off of you. It's always fun to scare the young ones," Chuck chuckled, sitting down in the lawn chair. "But, I just couldn't do it, you looked like the nice sort I guess."

"You're still kind of freaking me out right now," Dallas admitted, leaning against the wall of the boxcar.

"Train folk tend to do that. I've already had the pleasure of meeting everyone outside, and they all warmed up to me quite quickly, and I was in direct sunlight, so it was surprising," Chuck joked, laughing light-heartedly.

"Whatever old man, just-" Dallas began to say, before Chuck gave him a death stare.

"Don't call me old man son, call me Chuck," he said, before turning around and jumping out of the train, not letting Dallas finish talking.

"Well, that was weird," Dallas said aloud, following him out of the boxcar and over to his group.

"You met Chuck!" Clementine exclaimed excitedly, running up to Dallas.

"I sure did," Dallas told her, walking alongside her over to the group.

"It's so nice to meet someone normal for a change," Katjaa said, addressing Chuck, who was sitting on the nearby log, tuning his guitar.

"Yeah, normal. More like crazy" Dallas said under his breath, getting a look from Chuck.

"On that son, we can agree," he chuckled, going back to tuning his guitar.

"He gave all of us candy, even Ben," Clementine said happily, pointing at Ben, who was sitting nearby, scoffing down some candy, getting disgusted looks from Carley.

"God, boys are such pigs," she commented, nibbling on her own piece of chocolate.

"Hey!" Ben and Dallas said in unison, glaring at her.

"Face it boys, it's the truth," Chuck said, nodding his head to Carley. Ben and Dallas sighed in unison, the former going back to eating his food. Dallas looked at Chuck, who had stood up from the log to face him.

"Welcome," Dallas said, sticking his hand out for Chuck to shake, which he did.

"Glad to see you got a good head on ya," Chuck said, letting go of Dallas' hand.

"Have you gone up to meet Kenny and Lee yet?" Dallas asked, looking up at the train's hold.

"You bet I did. That Kenny fella shares my love of the road, I think we will get along just fine," Chuck told him, sitting back down on the log to play his guitar. Dallas looked over at Duck, who had started hacking up phlegm, his face becoming even more pale.

"I'm sorry about your son, I hope he gets better soon," Chuck said, giving Katjaa an apologetic look.

"Thank you for your concern Charles," Katjaa said, giving him a forced smile.

"I'm that with a little tender loving care from his family, he'll be fit as a fiddle in no time," Chuck told her, just as Kenny came walking over. "I ain't got much, but ya'll are welcome to anything I have."

"Thank you, we'd like to do the same for you," Katjaa said, watching her husband move into the middle of the group.

"Why don't we hold off on…" Kenny began to say to Chuck.

"We hope you'll stay with us. The more the merrier," Katjaa cut in, giving Kenny a firm look. Shaking his head, Kenny left again, nodding to Dallas as he went, gesturing for him to join Lee and him up in the train.

"So, we're all set?" Kenny asked, as he and Dallas walked to the train.

"Looks like it," Dallas replied, watching him go up the ladder. Before going inside, Kenny leaned on the railing and looked at the group, getting ready to address them.

"We don't have all that much left, so just bring whatever you have on you. Everyone in the boxcar," Kenny said to the group. Dallas watched everyone pick up their belongings and move over to the train, seeing Chuck look unsure about where to go.

"Want to come with us?" he asked him, gaining Chuck's attention.

"Might as well, haven't found any better way to keep out the creepy-crawlies than to stay in the boxcar," he answered, walking over to the train to get inside. Clementine walked up to Dallas, looking up at him sadly.

"Duck's still sick," she said, hugging him tightly.

"Get on the train," Dallas heard Kenny growl, making Clementine quickly run to the train.

"He's getting sicker," Katjaa agreed with Clementine, holding Duck in her arms. Kenny moved over and sat on the edge where the ladder was, looking down at his wife.

"Let me look at him," he said, watching Katjaa walk over to him. He examined his son thoroughly, looking shocked with what he saw.

"Do you want us to keep going?" Dallas asked, looking at Duck himself, sorrow filling him to the brim.

"Damn right I do. We're going to keep movin'," Kenny said, standing back up.

"I think we should all talk about this, as a family," Katjaa told him, looking at both Kenny and Dallas.

"We've said everything that needs to be said, get on the god damn train Kat," Kenny snapped, standing up and walking up to the train's hold, calling over his shoulder. "I'll be up front with Lee, I don't want to hear about any of this garbage until we get to the coast."

"He's being a real jackass at the moment," Carley commented, walking over once Katjaa and Kenny had left.

"He doesn't want to believe that he's going to lose his son," Dallas defended Kenny, turning to look at her.

"Let's hope he doesn't put the rest of us in jeopardy while he is in his denial stage of death," she said, getting into the train. Sighing, Dallas went up the ladder and went up to the train's hold, opening the door to join Lee and Kenny inside.

"We ready?" Lee asked, gesturing to the controls.

"Looks like it," Dallas said, standing behind Kenny, who was sitting in the driver's seat.

"Would you like to do the honours?" Kenny asked, pointing at the start up throttle.

"With pleasure." Dallas reached for the throttle and pushed it forward, causing the train to begin rolling forward, starting their journey on the railroad, on their way to the coast. Kenny got out of his seat and moved to the other side of the hold. The three boys looked ahead and exchanged looks of happiness, looking forward to what was to come. Dallas looked at Kenny again, and noticed his smile curl into a frown, bowing his head in deep thought. A couple of hours later, Dallas had moved into the boxcar to sit with the group, wanting to spend a little time with them while Lee and Kenny talked privately. He watched as the train passed by a walker, the thing staring at them as they sped by, craving the food that he would never get.

"So, Chuck, where you from exactly?" Dallas asked, looking at the man sitting next to him.

"I'm from Georgia, but you've seen where I live now," Chuck replied, pointing over to his old living quarters.

"I've seen better, to say the least," Dallas agreed, getting a laugh out of Chuck.

"I'm sure you have," he said, strumming his guitar softly.

"How long have you been alone, why are you alone?" Dallas asked, watching Chuck's face change into one of sadness.

"Been alone for a long time now. Why wouldn't I want to be? It's been workin' for me so far," Chuck replied, looking down at his fingers flicking the guitar strings.

"Okay, sorry I asked," Dallas asked, making to move away, before Chuck grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

"I'm sorry, I do like being with you all, it's a nice change of pace to be with friendly folk," Chuck said, placing his instrument back at his feet.

"Hasn't exactly been a great day for us," Dallas commented, a look of understanding on Chuck's face.

"You still have a couple of kids, and your little one has a good heart, and spirit," Chuck stated, looking over at Clementine, who was quietly napping in the lawn chair nearby.

"She's the best thing in my life at the moment," Dallas said, smiling at Clementine's sleeping form.

"Why would she need an older brother, when she has a good boy like you watching out for her," Chuck grinned, staring at passing scenery. After a couple of minutes, Chuck coughed, getting Dallas' attention. "Must be hard on ya, helping the adults take care of three kids."

"There's only two kids though," Dallas told him, confused by his statement.

"There's also that kid as well, no offense," Chuck said, gesturing to Ben, who was sitting nearby. Ben gave him a dirty look, refusing to look at Chuck.

"What about me? I'm younger than he is," Dallas stated, looking at the old man strangely.

"You may be younger, but you have a mature head on your shoulders, so needless to say, you ain't no kid," Chuck told him with a smile. Before Dallas could reply, he heard coughing nearby, and turned to see that it was Duck, a small bit of blood smearing his mouth as he coughed.

"Dallas, could you give me a hand?" Katjaa asked, looking worriedly at her son.

"We'll talk some more later," Dallas said, standing up, getting a nod from Chuck as he did.

"Looking forward to it son," Chuck said, smiling up at him sadly, before looking outside again. Dallas moved over to Katjaa and kneeled down in front of her, waiting for instructions.

"Could you clean his face for me, I don't want to let go of him right now, if that's okay?" she asked, gesturing to the cloth sitting on the ground in front of her. Dallas nodded his head and picked up the cloth, moving to Duck's lower lip, wiping away the blood that had already begun to stain.

"There you go," Dallas said, calmly, putting the cloth back down.

"Thank you so much," Katjaa said, a grim smile on her face. A few seconds past, and Katjaa looked like she needed to say something else, but was reluctant to say anything.

"Is there anything else you need?" Dallas asked, making it a little easier for her. She looked up at him in surprise and looked away, trying to figure out what to say to him, figuring out after a few more seconds.

"You need to get Kenny to stop this train. You and I both know that Duck isn't going to last much longer. We need a chance to say goodbye, before the change," Katjaa said, her eyes welling up with tears.

"You know how he is, when he has his mind set on something, he won't listen to anyone," Dallas told her sympathetically.

"I know, I know. But I thought, maybe, if you and Lee tried to convince him, he might listen. He thinks the world of your judgement, of your thoughts. Maybe he will listen," she insisted, as Duck started coughing again. Dallas looked down at the deteriorating form of Duck, and back at Katjaa's fearful face, standing back up.

"Okay, I'll go talk to him. I won't be long," he told her, moving over to the door. Clementine must've woken up during the conversation, and overheard what was being said, because Dallas heard the light patter of little feet behind him, turning around to see he running up to him.

"Are we going to be stopping soon?" she asked, more than likely understanding the situation, she was smarter than a little girl should be.

"Yeah, we are. Stick close to Carley while I'm gone, we'll definitely be stopping soon," he told her, opening the door to exit the boxcar.

"Be careful," Dallas heard Clementine say before he closed the door behind him. He made his way up to the train's hold and opened the door, to see Lee and Kenny on opposite sides of the room. Lee was now sporting a black eye, looking quite pissed off about something, which could only mean that Lee was discussing with Kenny what Dallas was about to be.

"Kenny?" Dallas said, resting a hand on Kenny's shoulder, who shook it off.

"What?" he snapped, turning around to look at Dallas. Kenny's seemed to also have a black eye, looking almost as dark as Lee's, confirming Dallas' suspicions.

"You need to stop the train, now," Dallas told him, reaching for the brakes.

"And why would I want to do that?" Kenny asked angrily, blocking the brake from Dallas.

"Because your son is back there sick, isn't that a good enough reason?" Dallas retorted, making Kenny turn away to look at the road ahead.

"He will be fine, you'll see, he just needs to rest for fuck's sake," he swore, banging his fist against the dashboard.

"You know that just a little rest isn't going to solve this Kenny, we need to stop," Dallas insisted, looking over at Lee, who just looked away, probably having given up on Kenny already.

"Godammit boy, you listen to me. I am the adult here, I know what I am talkin' about. So respect your fuckin' elders and butt out," Kenny threatened, standing up in his seat to turn around and look and Dallas.

"I am showing you respect, it's just that-" Dallas began to say, before Kenny punched the window, putting a crack in it.

"It's only a god damn scratch, I don't understand why the fuck everyone is making such a big fuckin' deal out of it!" he shouted right into Dallas' face.

"This isn't about Duck at all is it?" Dallas questioned, not backing down from the slightly taller, more imposing man.

"This isn't about my son dying? Are you serious? Did you hit your head or something?" Kenny retorted, shaking his head.

"You couldn't save Shawn, and now you can't save your own son. You think this is all your fault," Dallas stated, Kenny's anger flaring.

"Don't you fuckin; dare bring that up!" Kenny snapped, becoming furious, coming close to breaking point.

"You think this is all your fault don't you?" Dallas continued his eyes boring into Kenny.

"I never said that!" Kenny argued, looking just about ready to snap.

"But you know you're thinking it? You believe that because you didn't save him, that you saved Duck instead of him. Now your own son is going to die, because of that mistake. That's not how it works and you know it," Dallas said calmly, trying to keep his composure while Kenny was at bursting point.

"You. Don't. Know. Anything!" Kenny screamed, his nostrils flaring in anger.

"You think you're some big presence don't you? You think you can just push everyone around, and expect them to cater to your pig-headedness. Well guess what, I'm not going to put up with your shit, I'm-" Dallas started shouting in Kenny's face, before Kenny brought back his hand and slapped him in the face, causing Dallas to stagger back into the door. Dallas touched his face, already feeling a bruise forming on his cheek, and few drops of blood falling from his mouth. He looked up at Kenny with a calm, but angry face, standing up straight once more.

"What the fuck Kenny?" Lee asked angrily, running over to check if Dallas was okay.

"I… I mean, well…" Kenny stuttered, looking ashamed of himself. Dallas looked him directly in the eye, and stepped towards him, moving almost nose to nose.

"If you don't stop this fucking train right now, you won't get the chance to say goodbye to your own fucking son, understand? You may not want to face it, but everyone else is, you're the only one that is choosing to be blind to the facts. So please, for your sake and for Katjaa's, stop the train," Dallas told him, elongating his speech as he spoke. Kenny stumbled backwards into his chair, staring up at the youth in disbelief. Finally relenting, Kenny looked down at the ground in shame and pulled the break, making the train begin to slow down.

* * *

**Here's another one guys, I thought I might as well give you another one, so then you didn't feel too bored ^_^**

**Again, origin stories shall soon be written, so please stay tuned ^_^**

**I shall be posting one more today, because I'm feeling generous, so stay tuned, it will be coming later in the night (or day, depending on where you live) :P**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter, I quite liked it personally. **

**See you soon fellow fanfickers :D**

**P.S. **Rebloxic: **Your feels chapter is the chapter after this one, so be prepared for that :P**


	30. Chapter 30 - The Grim Reaper Approaches

It didn't take long for the train to come to a halt, allowing everyone to jump out of the boxcar and stretch their legs, while still knowing what was to come. Dallas, Lee and Kenny all came out of the train's hold and walked along the train to the group, each of them having a grim look on their faces. When they made it over to the group, they were greeted with equally sorrowful faces, no one wanting to make eye contact with anyone else for too long. Kenny moved over to his wife, who was standing near the boxcar, holding Duck in her arms bridal style. They gave each other a look and looked at everyone else, who all looked away, fearing they would break into tears if they stared too long.

"In case ya'll hadn't already figured it out, he's bit," Kenny stated, looking at the rest of the group. Everyone looked at him, but didn't reply, choosing to look anywhere but at him once more.

"Take as long as you guys need," Dallas said, placing a reassuring hand on Kenny's shoulder.

"Like there's any time left," Kenny scoffed, letting Dallas keep his hand on his shoulder.

"Just take whatever time you need," Lee said, standing beside Dallas.

"Are you sure we have to do this?" Kenny asked, staring into his wife's sorrowful eyes.

"I'm sure," Katjaa replied, meeting his look.

"Isn't there something we could give him, some sort of medicine or something? I mean, shit Kat, this is our son we are talking about here, can't we just-" Kenny began to say.

"Stop it Kenneth! You and I both know none of that will help, there is nothing that can save him now, it's either here, or nothing," Katjaa cut in, pointing to her son's head.

"But what if we-" Kenny tried again, before Katjaa left his gaze and looked at her son again.

"You don't think I know how this feels. He's my son too Kenny, we're both going to lose him. You have to support me, you have to help me, please," Katjaa begged her husband, becoming quite distraught.

"Listen to her Kenny, she needs you right now," Dallas implored, trying to help Katjaa.

"I'll do it then, I should be the one to end his suffering," Kenny said, moving to take his son out of Katjaa's arms.

"No, I'll do it, you're his father, it's too much to ask," Katjaa told him, moving out of his reach.

"You're his mother, why should you do it?" Kenny snapped, going to grab Duck again.

"I brought him into this world, so I should take him from it as well," Katjaa argued, becoming quite angry with her husband. The two began to argue over who should end it, both of them bringing up different arguments as to why it should be them. When it looked like a decision was never going to be made, Lee looked about ready to step in, but Dallas beat him to it.

"I'll do it," he said. Everyone looked over at him, surprised at his words, at his decision. Some looked proud, others looked regretful, while others just looked away, not wanting to face the situation at all.

"We couldn't let you do that," Katjaa said, turning to face Dallas.

"It wouldn't be fair," Kenny agreed, the pair of them agreeing on one thing finally.

"It wouldn't be fair for his parents to do it either, no parent should ever have to send their child off death," Dallas told them, looking between the married couple. Kenny and Katjaa exchanged a look, and stared down at their son, finally looking back at Dallas, nodding their heads in unison.

"Thank you," Katjaa said simply.

"Gives us a little time to say goodbye, then you can end it," Kenny said, leading his wife into the forest nearby.

"Watch Clementine for me while I'm out there?" Dallas asked Lee, turning to look at Clementine, who was quietly talking to Carley, who was trying her best to make Clementine laugh.

"Of course, we'll take care of her. You sure you want to do this?" Lee questioned, giving him a hard look.

"No parent should ever have to send their child off to death," Dallas said, mirroring what he said before. He walked off to follow Kenny and Katjaa, not bothering to take one last look at the group as he left.

"The Grim Reaper approaches," Dallas heard Chuck say, just before he disappeared into the forest. The small group made slow progress through the woods, trying to find a far enough place to end it all. Soon, they came across a small, open area, with a wide trunk, big enough to lean Duck on. Katjaa walked over and lay Duck down, leaning his back against the tree. He didn't even seem to acknowledge that he was in his mother's arms anymore, which made Dallas feel all the more worse about this situation.

"We're going to miss you little guy. Gonna miss how crazy you were, how you never ran out of energy, no matter how long you were running around for," Kenny started, tears streaming down his cheeks silently.

"How you never wanted to eat with a knife and fork, you would just eat whatever was in front of you, scoffing it down as quickly as you could," Katjaa continued, a few stray tears falling to the ground.

"Gonna miss that face always smiling, brightening everyone's day. Being able to uplift our spirits by just seeing that you were happy. Your laughs were always infectious," Kenny said, wiping his tear stained cheeks, leaving room for fresh tears.

"You'll always be our little Ducky," Katjaa finished, her crying making it hard for her to breath.

"You ready?" Dallas asked, stepping up beside Katjaa, who had the gun.

"Yes, I think so," Katjaa replied, reaching into her back pocket to pull out the gun. She went to hand it to Dallas but at the last second, she retracted her hand, stepping away from the two boys.

"Hon, what are you doing?" Kenny asked, confused by his wife's movements.

"It's inevitable isn't it? We're all going to die at some point, why fight it?" she asked, moving to gun out to her side.

"What are you saying?" Dallas asked, scared of the answer.

"What's the point of going on? I'm losing my son, and I'm going to join him one day, so why put it off, why fight it?" she asked again, not even noticing Dallas' words.

"Don't do this hon, you know it's not worth it," Kenny crooned, stepping towards his wife.

"I love you Kenny, my husband, I always will. But I can't do this anymore, it's been running through my mind for a while now, Duck just brought it to the surface. Dallas, you and Clementine were practically the other children I will never have, the only that separated us was blood, blood that has been spilled countless times. There are so many moments that we have faced death, and have barely come out on top. First Doug, then Mark, then Lilly having to kill Larry, to only get shot herself a week later. We're dying one by one, and sooner or later, we'll be next. I'm sorry." Katjaa pulled the gun up to the side of her head, placing her finger on the trigger.

"No, please, don't do this," Kenny pleaded, slowly stepping towards his wife.

"You still have so much to live for," Dallas said, also moving towards her.

"Goodbye, my boys," she said, pulling the trigger. The gunshot rang through the forest, scaring off any nearby birds, as Katjaa's limp body fell to the ground with a soft thud.

"NO!" Kenny screamed, running to his wife's side. Dallas collapsed to his knees and stared down at the ground, not being able to look over at the scene behind him. Kenny lifted up the head of his dead wife, beginning to bawl his eyes out, ignoring everything that was happening around him. They both stayed there for a couple of minutes, Dallas staring blankly at the ground and Kenny crying tears of sorrow onto his wife's lifeless body, until they heard footsteps making their way through the forest. While Dallas continued to look at the ground, he heard a gasp behind him, and soon, a pair of boots appeared in front of him, causing him to look up at who it was. Lee was standing over him, staring down at Kenny, who was holding Katjaa's head close to his chest.

"What the fuck happened?" Lee asked, looking between the two distraught boys. Dallas opened his mouth to say something, but found that his throat was quite dry, no sound coming from his lips.

"She couldn't do it anymore, she couldn't handle it. She kept saying she thought it was inevitable that we are all going to die. So she did it, she shot herself," Kenny replied, rocking backward and forth. He put his fingers over Katjaa's eyes sliding them closed, so he didn't have to look them staring back at him. Lee moved over to Dallas first and pulled him into a fatherly hug, holding him tightly, as he got him to his feet, so that he could go and help Kenny. Once he had managed to pry Kenny away from Katjaa's corpse, the three of them looked over at Duck, who's breath was quietly rasping, looking like he was within an inch of death.

"What should we do?" Lee asked, looking between Kenny and Dallas, who both had blank stares now.

"I'll still do it," Dallas replied, finally finding his voice.

"I can't let you do that, either of you, not after the ordeal you just went through," Lee said, picking Katjaa's gun up from the ground.

"I couldn't stop Katjaa's suffering, I couldn't stop her from dying. The least I can do is end Duck's suffering," Dallas argued, snatching the gun out of his hand. He aimed the gun at Duck, who was staring down at the ground, his grey skin looking gaunt and dishevelled. Dallas hesitated, his hand shaking as he held tightly to the gun, not truly feeling ready for this. Then, he placed his finger and the trigger and fired, killing Duck instantly. He held the gun in place, not making a move to put it down any time soon. Lee had to pry the gun out of Dallas' fingers, grabbing him by the shoulders to turn him around and walk him back to the train. He hooked Kenny's arm in his and pulled him along as well, as they made their way back to the train, not looking back at the two new angels of heaven.

* * *

**So, I promised a FEELS CHAPTER OF DEATH, and here it is, I hope I delivered...**

**You all knew it was coming, it was just one of those things that were needed to shape the man that Kenny becomes, so yeah...**

**Be happy Carley is alive, that is all :P**

**Sorry if I put up too many chapters today, I just might not be able to update tomorrow, maybe one chapter, and that's about it, so I wanted to just unload on you guys. Plus, I want to move it along so we an get to the good stuff :3**

**So yeah, farewell for now my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	31. Chapter 31 - Tell Him

Silence. Silence seemed to become almost a running joke in the group. Someone dies, and the group goes silent, no one sure about what they should be doing next. When Lee, Kenny and Dallas had returned, everyone ran to them to ask what was going on, asking why there had been two gunshots. Lee had been left to answer all of their questions, as Dallas blankly walked up to the boxcar and jumped inside, sitting down silently, ignoring everyone around him. Kenny continued on to the train's hold, refusing to make eye contact with anyone as they went. No one understood what was going on, why Dallas and Kenny were acting like they were. Once Lee explained the situation, everyone finally understood, looking at each other in disbelief. Upon hearing the news, Clementine moved away from the group and got into the boxcar, moving quickly over to Dallas. She looked down at him, staring at his blank face, trying to read his thoughts, but she just couldn't seem to. She had always been able to figure out what he was thinking, both of them being able to share their thoughts without a moment's notice. Now, Clementine was scared that she might lose him, a repeat of how he was with Sandra.

"Are you okay?" she asked, sitting down next to him. When he didn't reply after a few minutes, she opted to just sit next to him, trying to lend him as much comfort as possible. From what Lee had been saying, it sounded like Duck wasn't the only one to die out in the forest. Katjaa had died as well, not being able to handle the world anymore, thinking she couldn't go on. Clementine knew better than that, she knew that there was plenty left in the world for herself to live for. She had to find her parents, she had to find them, make sure they were okay. She had Dallas, her guardian, the big brother she wished she had had from the day she was born. She had Lee and Carley, almost like the mother and father figures in her life, alongside Kenny and Katjaa. Well, just Kenny now, Clementine supposed. She lost her friend, Duck as well. No matter how annoying he could be, no matter how much he pestered her, Clementine still had considered him a friend. Clementine reckoned he had a crush on her for a little while there, always wanting to share his food with her when they were rationing. She looked over at Dallas again, trying to figure out why this affected him so much, why he had gone back into himself, refusing to speak a single word. Then it hit her. He was blaming himself again, just like she knew that Kenny had been blaming himself for what happened to Duck. First Sandra, then Shawn, even Lilly, and now Katjaa. He was taking all the blame on his shoulders once more. She knew she had to figure some way to pull him out of this, but how. While she was deep in thought, Carley got back onto the train, while Ben, Lee and Chuck were nowhere in sight.

"Lee's gone up to see Kenny, and Chuck followed him, wanting to stand at the front of the train. Ben's just outside. Just in case you were wondering," Carley told her, kneeling down in front of Dallas, trying to meet his gaze.

"Thanks," Clementine said, trying to do the same.

"Has he said anything yet?" Carley asked, looking over at Clementine.

"Nope," Clementine answered, returning her look with a worried one.

"Dallas? Can you hear me?" Carley inquired, snapping her fingers in his face. This seemed to snap him out of whatever stupor he was in, as he shook his head and finally looked up from the ground, meeting Carley's gaze.

"Huh? Oh, hey," he said, avoiding her gaze.

"Are you okay?" Clementine asked again, taking his hand in hers. He looked over at her in surprise, but relaxed after a couple of seconds, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I think I'm okay now. I just needed to process everything that just happened," he told her, giving her a small smile.

"Good, I'm happy you're okay," she said, letting Dallas wrap his arm around her shoulders.

"You had us all worried for a second there. With Kenny acting the way he was, and then you the way you were, we didn't know what we were going to do," Carley told him, sitting down and crossing her legs.

"Maybe now that you're better, you can help Kenny," Clementine suggested, making Dallas giggle at her innocent comment.

"I'll try, don't worry," Dallas said. The three of them sat there for another couple of minutes before the train started up and began to move, pulling away from the graves of two of their old group members. They continued to sit there for another half hour or so, discussing where they should go from here, what they were going to do, if Kenny continued in his depressed state.

"So, you understand what happened right?" Dallas asked Clementine, the question floating around in his brain since he saw her after returning from the forest.

"Yes," Clementine replied, looking at him sadly.

"Is something wrong?" Carley asked, watching her carefully.

"It's just something Chuck said to me," Clementine replied, making Carley understand what was going on.

"What did Chuck say to you?" Dallas asked, looking at Carley for an answer.

"He told her that what happened to Duck would happen to her, if the group weren't careful," Carley told him.

"Of course he fucking did," Dallas cursed, shaking his head in disgust.

"Swear," Clementine said, looking up at Dallas.

"Sorry," Dallas said, standing up and dusting himself off, walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Carley asked, watching him walk away.

"I'm gonna go talk some sense into that idiot," Dallas replied, flinging open the door and jumping out and slamming the door behind him.

"I hope he isn't mad," Clementine said. Carley started laughing at her comment, shaking her head.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, they'll just have a quick chat," Carley assured her, patting Clementine's knee.

"That's good. So, are you and Lee, you know, dating now?" Clementine asked, making Carley do a take at the sudden change of topic.

"What? Where did that come from?" Carley spluttered, her cheeks going a bright crimson.

"I saw you kiss him on the cheek back at the motor inn, and you guys were sleeping next to each other on the RV. Doesn't that mean that you guys are together?" Clementine questioned, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

"I guess I never thought they were big things before…" Carley trailed off, looking out at the passing trees.

"Maybe you should think about it then. Lee is so happy whenever he sees you, and I know you are whenever you see him," Clementine told her, giving her a smile. Clementine really hoped this worked, Lee deserved to be happy, and if Carley was able to do that, then Clementine was going help however she could.

"Maybe you're right, but I don't know even know what I would say, how I would even start that conversation," Carley said. After a few seconds of thought, she began to laugh uncontrollably, having to hold her gut as she did so.

"What's so funny?" Clementine asked, curious as to what she was thinking.

"I'm asking for love advice from an eight year old girl, I've never done that before. Let's just say it's a weird feeling," Carley told her, wiping tears of joy from her eyes.

"So you love Lee then?" Clementine asked, knowing that she was about to succeed in her mission.

"I said that didn't I. Well, I guess I do," Carley replied, her eyes brightening up.

"Then you should tell him, I know he'll be happy to hear you tell him," Clementine suggested, pointing to the door.

"You mean now?" Carley asked, looking sceptical.

"Why not? With the way the world is now, you can never afford to wait," Clementine pointed out, causing Carley to smile at her efforts.

"Agreed, I'll go talk to him. Thanks Clem, you're the best," Carley said. She picked up a nearby bottle of wine, an idea forming in her head, before running over to the door and exiting the boxcar. Well, looks like Clementine's plan succeeded, Carley and Lee will finally be happy. Now, who's turn was it next?

* * *

**Hey everyone :D**

**Sorry I didn't update yesterday, I had a really hectic day, it was filled to the brim D:**

**But here is another chapter for you guys :D Its more of a filler kind of episode, I wanted to fit in one of my two Clem chapters that I've managed to do so far for each episode, so woo ^_^**

**Since I was late to update, and this is such a short chapter, I think I might give you guys two more chapters today :3**

**I'll give you guys an hour in-between to let each chapter sink in though, so don't fret ^_^**

**Anyway, farewell my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	32. Chapter 32 - Time to Get Safe

"I'm gonna go talk some sense into that idiot," Dallas said, slamming the door behind him. After glancing at Ben, who seemed to be deep in thought, Dallas made his way along the edge of the train, entering the train's hold. He found Kenny sitting once again at the controls, not taking much notice of the world around him, while Lee was outside, talking to Chuck. Dallas strode over to the door and threw it open, walking down to greet Lee and Chuck, who stopped talking when they saw him.

"Is something wrong?" Lee asked, noticing Dallas' quite flustered face.

"Can I talk to Chuck in private for a bit?" Dallas inquired, giving Chuck a hard look.

"Of course, I'll be inside if you need me," Lee replied, pushing past Dallas to get back inside.

"What'd you need son?" Chuck asked, leaning his arms against the railing.

"Where do you get off telling a little girl that she is going to die?" Dallas snapped, crossing his arms over his chest angrily.

"I was just telling the truth of the situation son, no need to get angry," Chuck replied, looking up at him.

"It doesn't matter whether it's true or not, you don't just say that to an eight year old," Dallas told him, anger not going away.

"Listen son, you need to hear the facts, so don't say a word until I am finished, got it?" Chuck asked, standing up to his full height, managing to be at least an inch taller than Dallas.

"Fine," Dallas said, turning around to lean back on the railing, waiting for what Chuck had to say.

"I know you mean well son, I really do. You care about that girl deeply, like an older brother, and that's fine. But at the rate you are going with her, she won't be able to survive if anything ever happened to you, if anything happened to this group. She needs to be able to take care of herself, ready for the day that you pass on. First of all, you need to figure out a plan, some path to set, so you both know where you are heading, have some sort of motivation. Next, you really need to cut her hair; any one of those things out there will be able to use that as a handle for a quick takeaway dinner. I have scissors back on my little corner of heaven, so you can use those. Finally, you really need to teach her to use a gun-" Chuck said, never breaking eye contact with Dallas.

"You can't be-" Dallas began, before Chuck put a hand up.

"What did I say?" Chuck asked, his eyes unblinking.

"Go on," Dallas huffed, avoiding his gaze.

"You need to teach her to use a gun. I know you think she is too young to learn, but I think otherwise, you are never too young. I know all too well what happens when a little girl can't defend herself. So, do you have any questions now?" Dallas looked down at the ground for a few seconds, gathering his thoughts, before he replied.

"I think I understand most of what you said, it makes sense. I guess I could look at a map with her or something, so we at least know where we are heading. Her hair is kind of long I guess, I'll just have to find hair ties for that. I was sceptical at first about the whole gun thing, but I think I understand now, I'll have to ask Carley to help with that one, she's pretty good at that kind of thing," Dallas told him, looking like he wanted to say something else.

"Are you sure that's all?" Chuck questioned.

"I guess I was wondering what you meant when you said you know all too well what happens when a little girl can't defend herself," he confessed, scratching his head sheepishly.

"That's a story for another day. For now, you should go and do everything I told you to do, okay?" Dallas nodded his head, and stuck out his hand, which Chuck shook heartily.

"Thanks, sorry for snapping before, I can be a little over protective," Dallas apologised, retracting his hand.

"No problem son," Chuck reassured him.

"So, what's your plan from here?" Dallas asked, having calmed down.

"Uh, that way I guess," Chuck replied, pointing ahead of them.

"I'm talking about when we get to Savannah. You're telling me to have a plan, but what's yours?" he asked again.

"I have some ideas floating around in my head. We can always have a talk when we arrive about whether ya'll would be willing to keep me on in your group," Chuck answered seriously, looking ahead.

"I guess we will." They stood in silence for a couple of seconds, Dallas not quite sure what else he could say. "So, you got any family?"

"Yeah. They're out there, somewhere. I've been on my own for almost fourteen years now, so it's not like I saw them recently," Chuck replied, looking down at track, watching it disappear under the train.

"I'm so sorry," Dallas said, giving Chuck an apologetic look.

"No one to blame," Chuck reassured him with a grim smile.

"So that really does mean you're homeless then?" Dallas questioned, thinking back to his living quarters back in the boxcar.

"I guess you could say that. Lived in homes here and there, been with different groups, but none of it ever worked out," Chuck told him, suddenly having a far off look, going into deep thought.

"So, yeah, I guess I'll-" Dallas began to say, turning to leave.

"You shot the boy didn't you?" Chuck asked, making Dallas turn back around.

"Yeah, I did," he said, his face full of regret.

"I suppose someone would've had to do it. It proves how strong willed you are I reckon," Chuck praised, nodding his head in approval.

"Thanks Chuck. I'm going to go talk to Clementine, get some things talked through, I'll-" Dallas went to turn around and leave, but found Carley and Lee coming out to join them, the former looking quite anxious.

"Do you mind if we talk out here for a bit? Kenny has some wine in there if that sweetens the deal," Carley said, gesturing to Lee. Understanding what was probably about to happen, Dallas led Chuck inside, leaving Carley and Lee to talk in private. Chuck walked over to Kenny, who was leaning against the wall of buttons, taking a deep draught from the bottle of wine in his hand.

"Want some?" he asked, offering the bottle to Chuck. Without hesitation, Chuck took the bottle from his hands and started drinking, letting out a sigh of satisfaction when he was done.

"That hits the spot," he said, offering the bottle to Dallas next.

"No, I couldn't, I'm not old enough," Dallas remarked, pushing the bottle away from him.

"When you're in his hell of a world, does that really matter?" Chuck countered, offering him the bottle once more. Dallas looked down at the bottle and at the two men in front of him, not sure what he should do. Soon, he relented and took the bottle from Chuck, taking a big gulp if the wine, managing to finish off the bottle, much to Kenny and Chuck's disappointment.

"You told me to drink it," Dallas laughed, looking down at the bottle, before throwing it against the nearby window, smashing it to pieces.

"Why in the hell did you do that?" Chuck asked, looking down at the pieces of broken glass forlornly.

"Stress relief," Dallas replied, moving past the two men to leave the hold, stopping at the door to turn and look at Carley and Lee. He turned just in time, because as he looked at them, they moved into each other's embrace, they kissed, their mouths locking together like they belonged like that. Smiling to himself, he went to open the door, but noticed a map nearby. He quickly picked it up and got out of the room quickly, before anything else caught his eye. As he was making his way back to the boxcar, Dallas went to open the door, grabbing the handle in preparation.

"It was me." Dallas stopped in his tracks, turning towards the owner of the words just spoken. Ben. Dallas retraced his steps so that he was facing Ben, feeling a little confused.

"What was you?" he asked, slipping the map into his back pocket.

"The bandits, the stolen meds, everything, it was all me," Ben told him, putting his head in his hands. At first, Dallas was a little confused by his statement, knowing that Ben wasn't to blame for the bandits attacking, until he pieced together what he had just said properly. If what he was saying was true, then Ben was the one that stole the meds. Without him doing that, Dallas never would've found the meds, which caused the bandits to attack, causing Duck to get bitten, Lilly to get shot and Katjaa shooting herself. Without that one little thing, if Ben hadn't stolen those meds, then they wouldn't be in this mess.

"You did this? You did all this?" Dallas questioned, anger rising in his chest.

"I didn't know what else to do. They told me that they had one of my friends, and they were holding him captive in their camp. Then I found out they were lying to me the entire time, but if I stopped giving them what they wanted, they would start killing you guys. I couldn't let them hurt you, I just couldn't. Please, you have to believe me," Ben pleaded, tears streaming down his face.

"I thought I could trust you Ben, I thought I could talk to you. I asked if there was anything you needed to tell me, I asked you twice, and you lied. You lied right to my face, one of the few people that still wanted to keep you around. Do you realise how much of a slap in the face that is? Do you even realise how many lives you ruined today?" Dallas bellowed, causing Ben to stagger back against the railing.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, you have no idea how sorry I am Dallas. I never wanted to hurt anyone, I just wanted to help my friend, and protect you guys. I'm sorry," Ben stuttered, unable to speak properly because of the tears falling from his eyes. Dallas sighed and shook his head, giving Ben a firm look.

"Listen closely. First of all, if this ever happens to you again, you need to tell me straight away, don't just leave it hidden. Second, I'm not going to tell anyone about this, and you aren't either, Kenny would kill you if he found out. Finally, just try to control yourself. You need to become a better part of this group, start pulling your weight more. Understand?" Ben nodded his head furiously, wiping his tears away.

"Yes, yes of course. Thank you Dallas," Ben said, hugging Dallas tightly.

"Someone has to be compassionate around here," Dallas said, pushing Ben away slightly. Formally ending the conversation, Dallas nodded to Ben and turned to the boxcar, opening the door and entering, leaning against the door once it was closed, exhaustion flowing into him.

"Is everything okay?" Dallas looked over to Clementine, who was sitting at the sliding doors of the boxcar, her legs dangling over the edge.

"Everything's peachy, don't worry," Dallas assured her, walking over to sit down next to her, letting his legs fall over the edge. After sitting there for a couple of minutes of just watching trees fly past his vision, Dallas cleared his throat, turning to face Clementine. "Since we'll probably be on this train for a while, there are some things I want to do."

"Like what?" Clementine asked, shifting her head to look up at him.

"Well, I know you probably won't like this, but you're hair, it isn't safe," he told her, watching for her reaction, which came after a couple of seconds, in a slightly appalled face.

"That's not a nice thing to say," she said, not sounding impressed with him.

"What do you mean?" Dallas asked, slightly confused.

"You think my hair stinks don't you?" Clementine questioned, looking up at her fringe, looking disappointed.

"No, of course not, your hair is very beautiful," he reassured her, running his fingers through her hair to prove it.

"It's okay if you think it smells, I know it does. I haven't washed it in ages," she insisted, her eyes going droopy.

"It's nothing like that, don't worry. I just need to cut your hair, to make sure no one can grab it," Dallas told her.

"All of it?" she asked in disbelief, running her fingers through her wavy, black locks, causing them to bounce slightly.

"Not all of it, just enough that walkers and humans alike will have a hard time grabbing you," Dallas told her, standing up to go find the scissors Chuck told him about.

"Do I have to?" she complained, looking over at him with her big brown eyes.

"Don't look at me like that, you should know that doesn't work on me," he joked, finding the scissors he was looking for. Clementine pouted, crossing over her arms in frustration as Dallas walked back over to her, taking off her hat.

"Fine," she frowned, waiting for him to begin. "You know what you're doing, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Dallas assured her, beginning to cut away at her hair.

"As much as I trust you Dallas, I don't believe you," she said matter-of-factly, looking out at the trees passing by.

"That's good then," Dallas told her, knowing this could be turned into a learning opportunity.

"What do you mean?" she asked, sounding a little confused.

"You knew I was lying. Knowing when someone is lying is a very good survival skill, will keep you alive," Dallas told her, turning her head to the side to cut more hair off.

"Okay then. So, Lee told me about what happened to him, how he killed that man," Clementine said, trying to make conversation.

"Yeah, he did," Dallas confirmed, turning her head back to look straight ahead.

"I'm glad he told us, makes me feel good that I know," she said, bowing her head a little for Dallas to cut off a little hair.

"I'm glad too," Dallas said, trying to focus on her hair cutting.

"And he's killed lots of things now, just like you, so it doesn't even matter anymore," Clementine informed Dallas, making him smile slightly.

"It's a little different though. We killed walkers because we have no choice. In the end, killing is bad, no matter what," Dallas told her, turning her head to the other side.

"But you do it now don't you? You do it to take care of yourself, and to take care of me and the rest of the group," she countered. Dallas sighed, turning her head to look straight ahead once more, coming close to finishing.

"That doesn't mean it's a good thing," he pointed out, cutting a stray bit of hair.

"But you have no choice," Clementine insisted.

"I only do it because it's essential okay? Besides, walkers are different to people, people are alive," Dallas told her, ending the conversation. Cutting away one last bit of hair, he looked at his work, feeling quite proud of himself. "Looks like I'm done. Now, all I need to do is tie the rest of it back with something."

"Here, I have some of those hair thingies, Lilly gave them to me for sleeping," Clementine said, freezing suddenly, realising what she had said. She looked up at Dallas, who had a far off look, thinking back to what happened at the motor inn. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, its fine. What's in the past is in the past," he assured, taking the hair ties out of her hand. He tied her hair into two small pigtails, making them a lot harder to grab than they were before. While he was looking at his handy work, Clementine reached up to feel the two small bits of hair that was once her black mop.

"Does it look dumb?" she asked, slumping her arms to her sides.

"Of course not, you look just as cute as ever, and you are a lot harder to grab now," he reassured, her ruffling her hair affectionately, before handing her hat to her.

"What do we have to do now?" she asked, once Dallas had put the scissors away and her hat was back on.

"You need to learn how to defend yourself properly. So, I'm going to teach you how to use a gun," Dallas replied, just as the door opened nearby, to reveal a flustered Carley. "Good timing Carley."

"What's good timing?" she asked, barely taking notice of what he had said.

"I want to teach Clementine hear to shoot, and I thought you could watch, and give her some tips. I wouldn't mind the help either," Dallas told her, snapping his fingers in her face, pulling her out of her revere.

"What? Oh, of course, yeah, I'd be happy to do that," she said, walking over to get the lawn chair, pulling over to sit on so she could watch the shooting lesson.

"Could I borrow your gun?" Dallas inquired, reaching his hand out to her.

"Sure thing," she answered, pulling out her gun and handing it to him. He turned around to face Clementine, who was now standing up, waiting for his instructions. He handed her the gun and turned her body to face the nearby box, looking around for something he could use for target practice. His eyes landed on a large pile of empty glass bottles, walking over to place it on top of the wooden box, moving back to stand beside Clementine again.

"Ready?" he asked, kneeling down beside her.

"Not really" she replied, bringing the gun up until it was level with the glass bottle. "It's heavy."

"Don't worry, you'll have an easier time of it as time goes by. Now remember, don't lock your elbows, keep them loose," he said, pushing her elbows down lightly.

"Do I go now?" Dallas nodded his head to her and placed his hands over her ears, waiting for her to shoot. Without a moment's hesitation, she took the shot, shrieking a little as the bullet left the gun. She managed to just miss the bottle hitting the box below it.

"That was pretty close," Carley commented, nodding her head in approval.

"It hurt," Clementine admitted, talking about the recoil when she fired.

"You'll get used to it, don't worry. Now, when you try this time, aim a little higher, and you should be fine."

"Is there anything else?" Clementine asked, turning to look at him.

"Remember to breathe, and shoot without hesitation," he replied, moving over to replace the empty wine bottle with a new one, moving back to kneel behind her.

"And always aim for the head," Carley added in, watching them carefully.

"Unless they are alive. If that is the case, just keep shooting, don't worry about where you hit them, just keep shooting," Dallas told her. Nodding, Clementine turned to look at the wine bottle again, bringing the gun level with it once more. Remembering what Dallas told her, she raised the gun a little higher, took a deep breath and fired, managing to smash the bottle instantly.

"I did it!" she said proudly, turning around to look at Dallas, a wide grin on her face.

"Better than my first try," Carley admitted with a chuckle, watching the two, quite amused.

"Want to try again?" Dallas asked, walking over to replace the bottle, moving back over to her.

"Okay then," she replied, turning around, being careful not to lock her shoulders. Dallas placed his hands over her ears again and she breathed in, firing another shot, managing to hit the bottle once more.

"Looks like she has it down," Carley commented, walking over to the pair, smiling at Clementine.

"How'd you do that so quickly, you smart girl?" Dallas asked, playfully nudging her in the ribs.

"I just imagined they were walker heads," Clementine replied, getting approving nods from Dallas and Carley.

"Almost a smart idea," Carley agreed, patting Clementine on the head.

"They're not walkers though, they're not the real thing," Clementine said, looking up at her elders worriedly.

"Don't worry about that for now, at least you know how to work this thing now. With a little more practice, I'm sure you'll be ready one day," Carley reassured her, squeezing her shoulder.

"Okay then. This kind of feels good, knowing I can defend myself," Clementine said happily, handing the gun back to Carley. She went over and sat back in her original seat, waiting for Dallas' next instructions.

"Thanks for that. I know all you did was watch, but it was nice having another set of eyes to watch over the teaching process," Dallas thanked Carley, shaking her hand.

"No problem. The way you were doing it, you were a good teacher. She really respects you," Carley told him with a smile.

"Thanks. Do you want to join us? We're going to talk about what we are doing when we get so Savannah," Dallas offered, pulling out the map.

"No, its fine. I just came down here to find another bottle or two of wine, the boys are getting restless," Carley laughed, moving over to the boxes, pulling out tow full bottles of wine.

"I guess I'll see you later," Dallas said, waving as she left.

"I guess you will, see you soon." Once Carley had opened the door and left, Dallas went and sat next to Clementine, ready to talk about their next move.

"We need to talk about what our plan is, once we reach Savannah," Dallas said, stretching out the map, so he and Clementine could look.

"What kind of plan?" she asked, studying the map closely.

"We need to figure out where to go once we arrive. I have no idea what to expect when we get there, who knows whether the city will be bad or if it's totally under control," he answered running his finger along the different streets.

"I hope it's not bad," Clementine said, examining some of the little words on the map.

"Also, you and I, we're a team, you know? Every team needs the have a plan. We need to worry about what the two of us are doing, before we worry about everyone else and what they plan to do," he told her, noticing a hospital on the map.

"A plan. I like that sound of that," Clementine beamed, swinging her feet back and forth.

"I think we need to follow Kenny's idea for now, and find a boat, it's our best bet for safety," Dallas theorised, looking around the edges of the map for any docking bays.

"Okay, that does sound good, but…" Clementine trailed off, looking unsure whether she should speak her mind.

"But what?" Dallas asked, wondering what she was thinking.

"We're going to Savannah. We're actually going to be in Savannah, and that's where my parents are," Clementine continued, looking at Dallas hopefully.

"I know they are, but-" Dallas began to say, before Clementine shook her head defiantly.

"No, please, listen. I don't care about safety, I need to find them, that's all I care about right now," she cut in. Although he knew that this day would have to come someday, he wasn't wanting it to happen so soon. As much as she enjoyed spending time with him, letting Dallas take care of her, he always knew that she loved her parents more. It was almost time for him to lose her.

"Yeah, of course we will go looking for them. After we do though, we'll go looking for a boat. Deal?" he asked, sticking his hand out to her.

"Deal," she said, shaking his hand awkwardly.

"Okay then, let's look at this map. If we can figure out where your parents went, we'll have somewhere to start," Dallas said, picking up the map again, looking over it. "Looks like we should go right through town if there's nothing on the tracks to stop us."

"What about boats?" Clementine asked, scanning the map.

"Should be something over here," Dallas said, pointing to what he thought was the docks. "There's also a large chunk of Savannah to the north-west of the docks, what do you think?"

"My parents always stay in the exact same place whenever they visit Savannah. It's called, umm. Hmm, I can't remember," Clementine admitted, staring down at the map sadly.

"It's okay, we can figure this out. Have you ever been there with them?" Dallas asked, looking for anything that could be a hotel.

"Once," Clementine said, looking like she was raking her brain, trying to remember the name.

"Well, are there any hotels on her that seem familiar? If you've been there before, then maybe seeing it will jog your memory," Dallas suggested, handing the map over to her.

"I remember they had really tasty desserts there. It was called the M.. M something… Mar?" Clementine tried to remember, scanning the map. Dallas looked over her shoulder, looking over the map, finding a name that sounded like what Clementine was describing.

"The Marsh House? Is that it?" Dallas asked.

"Yes, that's the one!" Clementine squealed, becoming quite excited.

"Looks like we know where we are heading then," Dallas smiled, folding up the map and slipping it into his pocket.

"Yes!" she said excitedly, barely being able to contain herself.

"So, you reckon we have an awesome plan or what?" Dallas asked, giving Clementine a high five.

"I think it's definitely awesome," Clementine agreed, beaming up at him. "Dallas, do you think I should tell my parents about Lee?"

"Maybe you should ask Lee, okay?" Dallas suggested, as Clementine nodded her head in understanding. "So, how you feeling?"

"Good, better than before. I'm happy that we have a plan now," Clementine replied happily.

"And you know how to defend yourself with a gun," Dallas continued, smiling at her.

"And my hair is much safer," Clementine finished.

"Now that that's all done, maybe we should-" Dallas began to say, before he heard shouting coming from the front of the train.

"Oh shit! Hold on everyone!" Kenny shouted. Suddenly, the train started to slow down, meaning Kenny must've slammed the brakes on. Clementine attached herself to Dallas, who held her tightly, as the train came to a complete stop, jerking as it halted. Looking confused, Clementine and Dallas jumped up and got out on the other side, walking to the front of the train, Ben jumping down to join him, Kenny was jumping down with Chuck, Lee and Carley as they approached, finally seeing the reason they had to stop the train once more. Right in front of them, dangling from a bridge, was a very large back side of an oil tanker, hanging a couple of feet from the ground, stopping the train's progress.

* * *

**...this turned out longer then expected... Oh well :P**

**Gotta love preparing Clementine for the big bad world, she is so ready to fight them walkers off now, especially with Carley there to help :3**

**Things are moving along quite nicely, wouldn't you say ^_^**

**Anyway, see you guys in the next chapter :)**

**Farewell my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	33. Chapter 33 - Bloody Hell

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! FUUUUUUUUUCK!" Kenny screamed, collapsing to his knees in defeat.

"Maybe we could walk?" Ben asked, making Dallas mentally face palm.

"That's a fucking stupid idea Ben," Kenny said, looking down at the dirty ground.

"I'm just sayin'…" Ben began saying before Dallas put a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.

"I dunno about this. I haven't had much experience with your group's determination, but we can probably find some way to remove this obstacle. We have a god damn train for goodness sakes," Chuck pointed out, gesturing to the train sitting behind them.

"It's not like that thing is full of milk or something, Charles. There's probably gas or diesel in there or something that's going to explode if we bash the shit out of it," Kenny growled, standing back on his feet.

"You have got to get a hold of yourself. This is a crew here, they all work together," Chuck told him, waving his arm across Dallas and the rest. Kenny walked right up to Chuck and looked him right in the eyes, giving his best glare.

"This group ain't shit," Kenny snarled.

"Yo, you guys keep shouting like that, and someone's gonna get their face chewed off," a voice called. Everyone looked around confused, finally looking up at the bridge to see two people, a man and a woman, looking down at them.

"And why would you give a shit?" Kenny called up angrily, glaring at the two people.

"Maybe we don't, maybe you're bad people that aren't worth our time," the woman replied, crossing her arms.

"We're not bad people, we promise," Dallas shouted up, stepping forward to stand next to Chuck.

"We don't know these people, what the fuck are you doing?" Kenny hissed, his glare shifting to Dallas.

"You may not be able to trust anything or anyone at the moment, but I'm not that cruel," Dallas bit back, looking back at the pair on the bridge.

"Everything alright down there?" the man called, leaning on the edge, looking down at them.

"Yes, everything's fine," Lee called back, coming to stand with Dallas.

"You guys have a problem with that train of yours?" the woman asked pointing at said train.

"Yeah, ya'll are standing right in front of it," Kenny said sarcastically, getting a glare from Lee and Dallas.

"It's a wreck dude, believe me. It isn't all that bad up here," the man commented, looking behind him.

"Why don't you send one of your people up to talk, we can figure this out," the woman called down gesturing to the nearby ladder.

"Give us a minute," Lee called back, turning to Dallas and Chuck.

"I'll go, I have one of the calmer mindsets at the moment," Dallas said, glancing at Kenny who was staring at the tank dangling from the bridge.

"We'll wait down here then. If anything goes wrong, just give us a shout and we'll be up there quick smart," Chuck told him, patting his shoulder.

"Won't be long," Dallas said to the group, turning around and walking towards the ladder. "You guys had better not be murderers or thieves or something."

"Guess you'll just have to what and see," the woman called down to him. Once he reached it, he mounted the rungs and slowly made his way up, reaching the top in a minute or so. When he reached the top, the man and the woman were standing nearby, waiting for his arrival.

"Maybe having a group could be good for us," he overheard the man say to the woman.

"That's what you think. We're fine on our own, other people will just slow us down," the woman snapped, not noticing Dallas yet.

"I know that hon, but what about when-" the man began to say, before the woman noticed Dallas approaching.

"Shush," she warned, turning to face the new face.

"Hey there," the man greeted, waving at Dallas.

"Hi," Dallas replied cautiously, walking over to the pair.

"Who are you?" the woman asked, stepping in front of the man slightly.

"My name's Dallas, and that's my group down there," Dallas replied, gesturing to where he just came from.

"I'm Omid, and this is my girlfriend, Christa," Omid said, sticking his hand out to Dallas for him to shake. Thinking he seemed like a nice enough guy, Dallas took his hand, shaking it heartily.

"You're far too trusting Omid," Christa scolded, looking Dallas up and down.

"I promise I don't mean you any harm," Dallas reassured her, offering his hand to her. After a couple seconds of thought, and a nudge from Omid, Christa finally caved, taking Dallas hand and shaking it.

"Nice to meet someone sensible," Christa said, glancing at her boyfriend.

"Hey, I saw that," he pouted.

"So, what's your situation at the moment?" Christa asked, talking to Dallas.

"I'm not going to lie to you; we're a little fucked up right now. One of our own got killed late yesterday, she was kind of our leader. We also had a bite victim, and his mum couldn't handle it anymore, so she shot herself in the head, taking her own life, then we had to kill the boy as well. And that's just in the past day," Dallas explained, thinking back on everything that had passed.

"It's okay, you don't have to say anymore," Christa said, seeming quite sad at the story that was just told.

"Oh shit," Omid exclaimed, looking over at the ladder, something catching his interest. Dallas followed his gaze to find that Clementine had followed him up the ladder. She quickly ran over to him and hid behind his leg, looking up at the two strangers.

"Who said you could follow me up here?" Dallas asked, kneeling down to give her a firm look.

"Sorry, I just wanted to check on you," she replied, looking down at her shoes.

"It's fine. But next time, if you need to stay somewhere, just stay by Lee or Carley, okay?" Dallas told her, receiving a nod in return.

"Shit, you have a kid," Omid said excitedly, watching the exchange closely.

"Hi," Clementine greeted happily, stepping out from behind Dallas.

"How come he gets to swear?" Dallas questioned playfully, poking her in the side, making her giggle.

"You guys are so cute," Omid commented, looking like an excited child watching their favourite TV show.

"You're certainly a bubbly one, how do you put up with him?" Dallas asked Christa, whose expression softened a little, looking back at her boyfriend with a smile.

"With great difficultly" she replied, laughing at her boyfriend's display.

"I'm standing right here you know," Omid complained in annoyance.

"I know you are," Christa said, leaning down to plant a little to kiss Omid on the lips.

"So, how did you two end up here?" Dallas asked, looking between the two.

"We were coming from San Francisco, going on a road trip, until this whole shit storm started," Christa explained, motioning to the destruction of cars and trucks around them.

"We were with other people for a while, but that didn't work to well, they were a bunch of assholes," Omid continued, frowning slightly. Looking down, Dallas could see Clementine trying to contain herself, the swearing probably making her unhappy, making him laugh.

"What about you, how did you and your sister get here?" Omid asked, looking at the pair.

"Oh, she's not my sister, I'm just her babysitter, her guardian if you will," Dallas replied, gripping Clementine tightly to his side with his arm.

"But he's just as good as a big brother," Clementine told them happily, a smile forming on Christa and Omid's faces as she said it.

"I'm sure he must be, if you speak so highly of him," Christa said, smiling at Clementine. "Where are her parents?"

"They should be in Savannah, which is where we are heading on that train," Dallas replied, looking over the edge.

"Well, I hope you find them," Christa said, looking between the two in front of her.

"How would you guys feel about coming to meet the group, I'm sure they'd be happy to meet you two," Dallas offered, gesturing to the ladder.

"That'd be awesome, let's go Christa," Omid said, dragging his girlfriend over to the ladder.

"We'll see you down there I guess," Christa called over her shoulder, as she followed her boyfriend down the ladder. Once they had vanished, Dallas turned to Clementine, moving back down to her eye level.

"So, what do you think?" he asked, talking about Christa and Omid.

"They seem nice, I think we should ask them to stay," Clementine answered with a smile.

"I agree, come on, let's go back down, and see what the group thinks." Taking Clementine by the hand, he led her back over to the ladder, helping her get down before he went down himself. When they reached the ground, Dallas found that Christa and Omid were already talking to the group, the former speaking to Carley, while the latter spoke to Chuck and Lee, sounding like they were talking about history or something.

"That was quick," Clementine commented, walking over to Carley and Christa. Dallas walked over to the boys, waving as he approached.

"Hey, this Omid is a riot, he knows so much about history, it's awesome," Lee said once Dallas reached the group, looking almost as chipper as Omid.

"Is this seriously what happens when two grown men find a common interest?" Dallas asked in disbelief, looking between the two men.

"Yes!" they replied in unison, laughing as they did so.

"We're not all like this son, don't worry," Chuck reassured Dallas, practically face palming at the display. Soon, after the boys had talked for a couple of minutes, the girls walked over to join them, waving in greeting.

"So, we were talking and Christa here is considering joining the group," Carley announced, moving over to Lee, who slide his arm around her shoulder, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder.

"Really? Awesome!" Omid shouted enthusiastically, hugging his girlfriend tightly.

"Not so tight, can't breathe," Christa gasped, pushing her boyfriend away, who was beaming at her.

"Well, if you're going to be staying around for a while, I might as well teach you how to use the train, just in case," Kenny said, leading Omid over to the train.

"Seriously Ken?" Lee asked, giving him a look. Kenny just shrugged and continued over to the train, Omid not far behind.

"Looks like he's finally getting his wish," Christa smiled, looking back at the group.

"I think I saw a freight station just down the way, I was thinking of checking it out soon, want to join me when I go?" Lee asked, Dallas, pointing to a small building not far down the tracks.

"Sounds good," Dallas said, nodding his head. Everyone moved off again, Chuck going over to sit on a rock, pulling his guitar out to strum a tune, Lee going over to the train, to talk to Kenny probably, Ben climbed to the top of the train to keep watch and the girls all went over to the other tracks, sitting down to talk. Deciding he might as well try to get to know Christa better, since her and Omid would probably end up staying with them for a while.

"Hey," he greeted, walking over to the girls, sitting down with them.

"You have no idea how nice it is to finally have another woman in the group, I was afraid I would be stuck in a boy's group with just Clementine," Carley joked, as both she and Christa laughed.

"I'll admit, it's nice to see another female for once, haven't seen anyone but Omid for the past couple of months, it's a nice change of pace," Christa agreed, turning to face Dallas. "So, how do you know Clementine?"

"I was her babysitter's boyfriend before all this started," Dallas replied, glancing over at Clementine.

"And we've been together ever since," Clementine finished standing up to go over and sit in Dallas' lap, leaning her head on his chest.

"You guys seem to be super close, how long have you know each other?" Christa asked, an affectionate smile coming to her face as she watched the pair.

"I'd say it would have to be at least a year now?" Dallas said, looking at Clementine for confirmation.

"A year tomorrow," Clementine confirmed, smiling at him.

"Of course, how could I forget. Your hair was so long back then, and you were so shy, nothing like now at all," he joked, tickling her sides, making her laugh uncontrollably.

"I can honestly say I have never seen a pair of people that are as close as you two seem to be, it's a breath of fresh air," Christa observed, glancing over at the train.

"How long have you and Omid been together?" Carley asked, crossing her legs over each other.

"Wow, I don't even know, it's been at least three years now I think. I'm surprised I've lasted this long, he's lucky I love him so much," she joked, her face softening to a simple smile.

"It's always nice to see people happy," Clementine stated, smiling at Christa.

"That it is. So, how long have you and that Lee guy been going out?" Christa asked, looking at Carley with a mischievous smirk. Carley had a look of shock on her face, as she looked at the three people staring at her, Dallas and Clementine choosing to start laughing.

"It isn't that obvious is it?" Carley asked, blushing slightly.

"I saw you guys kissing back on the train, and you guys can barely keep off each other. Of course it's obvious," Dallas joked, happy to watch Carley squirm a little.

"Well, to answer your question Christa, I met Lee three months ago, and we only became a thing today, all thanks to Clementine's urging," Carley said, motioning to the little girl who was still sitting in Dallas' lap.

"Is that true Clem?" Dallas asked, looking down at her.

"Maybe," she replied, avoiding his gaze.

"Looks like we have a sneaky one," Christa said, chuckling. Nearby, Lee started walking towards the group, meaning it was time to go for a walk. Dallas lifted Clementine out of his lap and stood up, ready to go.

"We'll be back soon okay,"' Dallas said, following Lee away from the train, down the railroad tracks.

"I'm coming too," Clementine called, running to catch up to Lee and Dallas.

"No Clem, I need you stay with the group, just in case something happens," Dallas told her, turning her back around. She pulled out of his grip and looked up at him, giving a no bullshit kind of face.

"You said I need to learn to defend myself. How can I do that if you don't give me the chance to learn? Besides, we're a team now, just like you said," Clementine pointed, getting a chuckle out of Lee.

"You're too smart for your own good, you know that?" Dallas moved out of the way so that Clementine could lead them to the small building.

"I know," she said, leading the way.

* * *

**There you go, last chapter for the day before I go and sleep ^_^**

**I shall probably be posting one tomorrow, if I find the time, since I will be super busy for the next two days, so bare with me guys c:**

**Only three more chapters left for Episode Three, and things are going to be heating up soon, literally :P**

**Hope you are all ready for some intense chapters to come ^_^**

**Anywho, farewell until tomorrow my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	34. Chapter 34 - Real World Experiences

Before long, Lee, Clementine and Dallas had reached their destination, looking at the giant painted letters on the roof.

"'Survivors Inside'. Not likely," Dallas read aloud, stepping up onto the platform. Lee and Clementine soon followed, spreading out to examine the small building. Dallas moved on a head, turning the corner to follow the walls over to the other end of the building, waiting nearby for Lee and Clementine to follow him. While examining the signs on wall, Clementine found that there was quite a few different brands specialty stores stationed here, plenty for passing trains to help them on their journey. Lee disappeared around the corner, more than likely to go and check on Dallas. Clementine walked over to follow her friends, noticing a small sign in one of the windows, reading 'NO ENTRY: Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted'.

"Don't think anyone has to worry about that," she thought aloud, moving along the wall once more. When she turned the corner, she found Dallas and Lee quietly talking, standing in front of a door.

"Is the door unlocked?" she asked, moving over to stand in between the two.

"It doesn't look like it, there has to be some way to get inside, I'm just not sure how," Dallas replied, examining the door closely. He tried pushing it open, but didn't seem to have much success, since he stopped trying after a couple of seconds.

"The window is boarded up as well, so smashing it isn't really an option," Lee pointed out, scratching his chin in thought. Clementine walked up to the door and had a look for herself, looking it up and down, noticing an open window above it.

"That window's open. Could that work?" Clementine asked. The two boys looked up at the open window, and nodded their heads in approval.

"Great job Clem, now we have something to work with," Dallas said, beaming at her.

"Now the question is, how do we get through it?" Lee asked.

"Maybe I can have a look in, like I did back at the dairy," Clementine suggested. Nodding his head, Lee turned to her, kneeling down.

"How about you get up on my shoulders and you can have a little sneak peek into the room," Lee said, sticking his hands out to her. She moved into his grasp and he hefted her up on to his shoulders, moving her as close as she could to the window for her to look in.

"What do I do now?" she asked, glancing into the darkened room.

"Can you see anything?" Dallas asked, moving up beside Lee.

"There's a whole lot of crates and other stuff," she replied, scanning the room closely. She noticed a latch by the window reached for it, jiggling it around a little.

"Maybe we could look around for a key or something, maybe figure out a way to knock it down. I could try picking the lock," Lee suggested, thinking of different ideas as Clementine worked away at the latch. Before long she had it pulled up, moving back out to smile at her friends.

"I think it's open now," she said proudly.

"Seriously?" Dallas asked in disbelief.

"I think I did," Clementine replied, smiling happily at him. Lee let her down, allowing her to hug Dallas quickly, before turning to look at the now unlocked door. Lee turned the knob and swung the door open, revealing a very dimly lit room, the natural light from outside being the only thing to brighten it up. They all stepped into the room and had a look around, as the door closed behind them, putting them into total darkness.

"Godammit," Dallas swore, going over to open the door.

"We should find something to hold it open, just for while we're in here," Lee suggested, scanning the room for something to use.

"Dallas could use his wrench?" Clementine suggested. Nodding his head, pulled out his monkey out of his belt and slipped it into the door, holding it in place.

"Great idea Clem," Dallas praised, as Clementine giggled happily.

"Let's have a look around," Lee said. The three moved around the room slowly, examining everything that they found closely, hoping to find something that could help with the tanker. Clementine moved over to the bars and peered through, a metallic object catching her eye almost instantly.

"Could that help?" she asked, gaining Lee and Dallas' attention. They moved over to the bars to stand beside her, looking in to see what she was looking at.

"A blowtorch," Lee breathed, sounding excited.

"That should be very helpful, good job," Dallas praised once more, moving over to the bar door. "Now the question is, how do we get in?"

"There looks like there is space for one of us to climb over, but I'm not sure I could fit through it," Lee suggested, looking up above the bars.

"I can do it again," Clementine offered, looking over at the blowtorch once more.

"Are you sure?" Dallas asked worriedly.

"All I have to do is find the keys to open the bars, and we can get it and leave. Simple," she stated, feeling impressed with her thinking.

"Okay then, come here, I'll help get you over." Clementine moved over to Dallas, who lifted her up onto his shoulders, so that she could grab the bar. After a few seconds of preparing, she pulled herself over, landing gracefully on the other side.

"Great job, now quickly find those keys, and we can get out of here," Lee said, scanning around for where the keys might be. Clementine had her own search around, looking along the dusty shelves to find the metal keys. After a minute or so of searching, she finally found what she was looking for. Turning around to present them to Lee, she suddenly froze, fear taking over as quickly as it had hit her.

"What's wrong?" Dallas asked, following her gaze. Somehow, without any of them noticing, a walker had stumbled into the room, and was now shuffling towards them, a blood lust in its eyes.

"Shit," Lee swore, quickly trying to pull out his gun as two more stumbled into the room. In his haste however, he dropped his gun, as he watched it slide under the bars towards Clementine.

"Too late," Dallas exclaimed, pulling out his hunting knife and stabbing it into the nearest walkers head. Clementine picked up the gun, and slowly turned to look further into the room, as more groaning could be heard from within, revealing another walker behind the bars with her.

"Dallas!" she screamed, aiming the gun at its head. Being momentarily distracted, Dallas was attacked by a walker, knocking the knife out of his hand towards Lee, forcing him to move back towards the door as another walker shuffled in.

"Shit," Dallas cursed, pushing the walker out of the way to reach for his monkey wrench. Clementine watched on in horror as her friends fought off the walkers out there, while there was one moving slowly towards her.

"Just remember what Dallas said, remember to breath and always aim, for the head," Clementine whispered to herself. Raising the gun up, she stared right at the walker walking towards her, her eyes boring right through its skull. She took a deep breath and pulled the trigger, putting a large red hole in the walker's head, causing it to fall to the floor, dead once more. Dallas finished off his two walkers with the wrench, while Lee had picked up Dallas' knife, using it to kill the walker after him. Satisfied that they were safe, they moved over to the bars quickly, looking at Clementine in relief, who was shaking slightly.

"Are you alright?" Dallas asked with a worried tone.

"I'm fine, just a little shaky," she replied, moving over to the bars and handing the keys to Lee. He unlocked the door and moved past Clementine, while Dallas ran right to her and hugged her tight.

"You did a very good job," he told her, as she buried her head into his stomach. She began to cry a little as she stood there, still shaken from having to fire that gun at something moving.

"Thanks," she sobbed, her voice muffled by Dallas' shirt.

"Is everything alright in there?" Everyone turned around as the door was flung open, allowing Christa to enter the room. She stared down at all the dead bodies, and then looked up at the three staring back at her, a look of disbelief on her face. "A little girl, a teenage boy and their guardian, took down all of these guys?"

"You betcha," Dallas replied with a smile, which Christa returned with a slight scowl.

"From now on you have to be more careful. You don't want to lose that little girl of yours," she scolded, making to turn around leave.

"She's all I have left in this world. I don't plan to let her die. Ever." Christa turned around at Dallas' words, giving him a hard look, making Clementine worried she might scold him. She was relieved when Christa's face softened and she smiled, looking at Clementine.

"He's a keeper. Don't let him out of your sight," she said, before exiting the room. Clementine looked up at the boy standing next to her, who was staring out the door, a tear rolling down his eye.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, taking him by the hand. He looked down at Clementine, who was, yet again, using her big brown eyes to her advantage.

"I'm just great, don't worry," he reassured her. Lee picked up the blowtorch and walked past the pair, leading them out of the building and back down the railroad, ready to get rid of that tanker.

* * *

**Here's another Clem POV chapter, hopefully it sounds better than I think it is :P**

**There are only two chapters left for episode three, I hope you are all ready for the climax of the episode to hit you like a tonne of bricks ^_^**

**Anyway, farewell my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	35. Chapter 35 - Light 'Em Up

Lee, Dallas and Clementine walked back to the group triumphantly, proudly showing off the blowtorch they found.

"Found this up at the station. It should help us to break the coupling for the tanker," Lee announced, as Omid came out of the train, a wide grin covering his face.

"That should definitely help get that thing down," Omid said excitedly, running up to examine it.

"We should do this now so that we can get moving," Carley said, moving over to the group.

"Who'd like to volunteer?" Lee asked, looking at the group around him.

"I'll do it," Carley and Dallas said in unison.

"Are you sure?" Lee asked worriedly, looking at Carley.

"I'll be fine, don't worry. I want to help," she assured Lee, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him on the cheek softly. Rolling his eyes at the display of affection, Dallas took the blowtorch off of Lee and walked over to the ladder, waiting for his accomplice to follow.

"Come on love birds, we haven't got all day," Dallas moaned. Carley giggled slightly when Lee kissed her on the cheek, as she finally let Lee go. Carley began climbing up the ladder first, so that she could help Dallas with the blowtorch once he reached the top. When she had reached about halfway, Dallas started the climb up himself, lugging the small tank behind him as he went. After a couple of minutes of climbing up the ladder one handed, Dallas finally made it to the top, with a little bit of help from Carley.

"Do you think this will work?" Carley questioned, sounding a little sceptical.

"Of course it will work. We're going to be cutting through metal with fire for goodness sake. Why wouldn't it?" Dallas dropped the blowtorch at his side, examining the coupling for the tanker closely.

"Now what?" she asked, examining the blowtorch, which was now sitting between them.

"It's easy, all we have to do first is turn on this little valve here," Dallas said, pointing to a small knob on the edge of the tank. "And then we aim the nozzle at what we want cut, holding down a trigger, and Blammo. The cutting begins."

"Is this even a safe thing to be doing? I mean, we're cutting through something that is highly flammable," Carley pointed out, motioning down to the dangling tank.

"It's not like we're going to be cutting through the tank or something like that, so don't worry. Here goes nothing." Dallas lifted up the blowtorch and lifted it over to the edge of the bridge, kneeling down to turn the valve. Once he did so however, he heard a slight bit of gas pushing its way out of the tube, rather than the nozzle which made him groan in annoyance.

"Is something wrong?" Carley asked, bending down to kneel beside Dallas.

"The stupid thing has a fuckin' leak in it. We can't use it when it has a leak like that," Dallas grumbled, throwing the nozzle to the ground in anger.

"Then turn the damn thing off, we don't want to burn our bloody eyebrows off," Carley exclaimed, watching Dallas turned the valve off.

"Now what do we do?" Dallas asked, kicking the tank, which only caused pain to his foot.

"What if we just found some tape to patch it up? Shouldn't need to much," Carley suggested. Nodding his head, Dallas scanned the area, looking at all the destruction to vehicles around him.

"There has to be something in one of these. You take that side, I'll take this side," Dallas said, taking the side closest to the ladder to search. He looked underneath the truck to see if anything had happened to roll under there, but saw nothing. Getting back up on his feet, he opened the truck and found a couple of construction cones, along with what looked to be like duct tape. "Perfect."

"Find anything yet?" Carley called over, sticking her head into one of the smashed cars.

"I think that I have something that could help," he called back. She pulled her head out of the car and grinned, meeting Dallas back at the blowtorch. He pulled off a strip of tape and wrapped it around the leak, looking at his handiwork proudly.

"You taped up a leak, don't look so proud," Carley joked, nudging her friend in the side.

"Ha ha, very funny. Let's just hope it holds long enough for us to get this stupid thing down," Dallas said, picking up the nozzle and moving over to the coupling, looking at Carley.

"Ready?" she asked, placing her hand on the valve.

"Ready." Carley turned the valve and a small flame started to form, becoming big and strong enough to cut through the metal. He pushed the flame against the coupling and started to burn through it, forcing him to look away as sparks started to fly everywhere.

"I have to admit, this is pretty awesome," Carley commented, watching Dallas work.

"I think I almost have it," Dallas said, continuing to cut through the metal. Since he was so busy cutting through the coupling, and he couldn't hear much over the blowtorch, he didn't notice the front half of the tanker start to slide towards the edge of the bridge, but Carley did. Acting as fast as she could, she jumped forward and grabbed Dallas around the stomach, pulling him away from the edge, just as the tanker slide right into the place that he had just been standing. The two stared at the tanker, Carley placing her hands on her thighs while she breathed hard, thanks to the exertion it had taken to pull Dallas away from the edge.

"Are you okay?" she panted, looking down at her companion as she switched the valve off.

"I am, thanks for saving me," Dallas replied, standing back up, looking at the tanker.

"No problem. Now what?" Carley asked, looking at the coupling alongside Dallas.

"It shouldn't take much more to bring that thing down. Should take a couple of seconds to burn right through," Dallas answered, picking up the nozzle once more.

"That thing is to far away, you'll never be able to reach it," Carley pointed out.

"That's why you're going to dangle me over the edge, so I can reach it," Dallas told her, walking towards the edge of the bridge.

"Are you serious? Wouldn't it be better to dangle me over? Not to be sexist to my own gender, but boys are typically stronger than girls, so…" she trailed off, as Dallas turned around to look at her.

"I trust you," he said, smiling at her. Sighing in annoyance, Carley walked over and grabbed Dallas by the hand, as he leant against the side of the bridge, ready to go.

"Turn the valve on again," he said, aiming the nozzle at the coupling once more. Carley carefully leaned down and turned the valve, switching the flame on once more. He pushed the flame into the coupling once more, cutting away at the metal. Just as he was nearly finished, he glancing at Ben, who was staring off into the distance. Suddenly, Ben stumbled backwards a little bit, look back at the group.

"Guys, there's something coming!" he shouted. Dallas looked past Ben, to see the largest herd of walkers he had ever seen.

"Shit," he breathed.

"Hurry up, we have to get out of here," Carley exclaimed, dangling Dallas out a little further. Dallas began to push the flame into the metal, noticing that it was close to separating.

"Almost…have it…" Dallas said, as the metal was almost completely cut through.

"We have to go! Now!" Ben yelled running along the roof of the train.

"Hurry up Dallas, quick," Carley screamed, feeling her grip on him start to slip. Finally, the coupling started to detach from the tank, and started to rumble.

"It's going, it's going! Pull me back up!" Carley pulled Dallas away from the edge, as the pair of them watched the tanker begin to fall. Unfortunately, as the tanker fell to the ground, it hit the ladder on its way past, knocking down their only means of escape.

"We're trapped," Carley cried, moving over to where the ladder previously was.

"Kenny, get that train moving!" Dallas shouted. He and Carley watched as the train began to move, while the rest of the group climbed up onto the train. Dallas looked around frantically for some way they could escape, but he couldn't see anything. Carley walked back over to stand beside Dallas, looking down at the ground. They noticed that the tank had begun to leak, petrol pouring out onto the ground as the train began to pass under the bridge.

"I wonder," Carley whispered barely loud enough for Dallas to hear. She kicked the still blowing blowtorch off the bridge, right onto the petrol, setting it all alight almost instantly.

"Awesome. Now, let's get out of here," Dallas said, leading Carley to the other side of the bridge.

"What are we doing?" she asked, looking over the edge, to see the front of the train sticking out.

"We're gonna have to jump," Dallas told her, climbing over the railing to stand on the other side.

"Are you crazy?" she asked, looking at Dallas. He turned back and gave her a no bullshit kind of look, making her move over the railing reluctantly.

"You ready?" Dallas asked, offering his hand to Carley.

"No," she replied, taking his hand.

"Too bad," he said, jumping off the bridge, pulling Carley along with him. They soon made contact with the train, Dallas landing on his stomach, while Carley landed badly on her leg, causing her to roll off of the train onto the ground.

"Shit!" Dallas heard Lee shout. Dallas stood up from lying down, and looked down to see that Lee had jumped out of the train to go save Carley. Dallas quickly moved towards the door of the boxcar, and swung himself inside, turning back around to watch Carley and Lee run towards the boxcar.

"Hurry up!" he shouted, reaching his hand out to Lee. Omid and Christa came up from behind Dallas, the former reaching his hand out to help Lee into the boxcar. Dallas instantly turned back around to help Carley in, but just as he reached out for her, she stumbled over a rock, disappearing from his vision.

"Carley!"

* * *

**...so yeah, there's a cliffhanger... MWAHAHAHA!**

**I just found it interesting that you all thought that just because Lilly died, that Carley would just magically survive, so I thought, time to get mean :P**

**I shall prepare myself for the onslaught of being called evil and stuff, I can take it ^_^**

**One more chapter now guys, not long left, then we can start on episode 4, I think you'll like what I have done ^_^**

**Anyway, farewell my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	36. Chapter 36 - Where to Now?

"Carley!" Everyone looked on in shock as Carley disappeared from their view, stumbling away from the train on her sore leg. They all looked down sadly, already mourning their lost friend, they couldn't believe it had happened to so.

"Help me!" They all looked up to see Carley, still pumping her legs as much as she could to keep up with the train. Without hesitation, Dallas and Lee lunged forward, reaching their hands out to pull Carley into the safety of the train.

"Thank god, I thought I lost you," Lee said, pulling Carley into his chest, a few tears rolling down his cheeks.

"I'm too stubborn to die," she joked, wrapping her arms around his stomach, panting from exhaustion. Dallas stood up from the ground and moved to look out the window, watching the herd of walkers try to catch up with the train as it pulled away. A few were stupid enough to walk right through the fire that Carley set, a couple of them being set aflame.

"There are so many of them," Omid commented from beside Dallas, looking at the herd with him.

"Let's hope we can out run them," Dallas said, moving back into the boxcar. He looked over as the door nearby swung open, to reveal Clementine, who ran right over to him as soon as she spotted him.

"Are you okay?" Clementine asked, jumping into his arms for the umpteenth time that day.

"Yes, we had a close call, but we're fine, don't worry," he reassured her, resting his head on hers.

"Carley's leg is fucked up real bad though," Lee said, examining Carley's leg.

"Swear," Clementine said, turning around to give Lee a hard look.

"Sorry. Carley's leg is stuff up real bad. You going to be okay to walk for now?" he asked Carley, helping her to her feet.

"I just sprinted on a bad leg to keep up with a moving train. I think I will be fine," Carley chuckled. Laughing light-heartedly, he leaned down and kissed her on the lips, pulling away after a couple of seconds.

"Oh I so called it," Dallas laughed, getting glares from his friends. Lee helped Carley over to Chuck's lawn chair for her to rest in, while Christa and Omid leaned against the wall of the train, the latter leaning his head on the former's shoulder.

"Come on Clem, let's go up front to see Kenny," Dallas said, leading Clementine out of the boxcar, towards the train's hold. The two were silent as they walked along the edge of the train, just looking at the scenery as they passed it. They entered into the hold and found Kenny sitting at the controls, staring out the broken window in front of him.

"Hey," he greeted, turning around to face Dallas and Clementine.

"Hey Clem, why don't you go and get some rest, we shouldn't be far from Savannah," Dallas suggested, pointing to a nearby chair. She nodded her head and walked over to it, slinging her backpack off of her back onto the ground. Kenny and Dallas waited until Clementine was asleep before they started talking.

"Listen, I'm sorry, for everything. For being so stupid and pigheaded , for hittin' you across the face. You were only tryin' to help, to save me from my idiocy," Kenny apologised, looking down regretfully.

"I know. You were worried about your family, worried about losing them, it's okay. Now, you have to move past it and worry about the people you have the now, the family that is still alive," Dallas said, resting a comforting hand on Kenny's shoulder. Kenny looked back up and gave Dallas a small smile, looking thankful.

"I'm really glad for that," Kenny said, spinning around in his chair to look back out the window. Dallas looked over at Clementine to watch her sleep, as she silent snored and her chest moved up and down lightly. He looked down at her bag, and noticed a piece of paper sticking out, realising that he could see a picture of a familiar face on it. He walked over and pulled the picture out, looking at the picture that she had drawn. On it, was Kenny, Katjaa and Duck, the three of them holding hands, with a small sun and a couple of clouds in the sky. Sighing, he went to put the picture back, but noticed another picture in there. He put his hand in and pulled it out, revealing something to brighten his day. It was a hand drawn picture of him, and Clementine, the two of them holding hands, big smiles on their face, with a big title on top reading 'Me and My Almost Big Brother'. Try to hide his giddiness, he put to two pictures back into her bag and ruffled her hair a little, before standing up to look outside. Just on the horizon, he could see a city, which he assumed must be Savannah.

"We're almost there," he said aloud, walking back over to Kenny.

"Next stop, the Atlantic," Kenny agreed, leaning down on the controls, seeming the calmest he had been in a while.

"I hope we find a boat. I really do," Dallas said, staring at the city, as it slowly started to become big as they approached.

"Don't worry son, we will," Kenny reassured him with a smile, which soon turned into a sad one.

"Don't worry, you'll be alright. You still have plenty of people to watch out for you," Dallas assured him, resting his hand on Kenny's shoulder once more.

"Thanks, I guess I am still alive. With blood in my heart, and with blood in my brain at least," Kenny added on the last bit, referring to the walkers.

"I'll leave you to your thoughts for now then," Dallas said, moving over to go sit beside Clementine while she slept. He looked down at her once more, smiling at how serene she looked in her sleep. "She' out could like nobody's business."

"Been a hard a day," Kenny said. Dallas nodded his head in agreement and turned back around to Clementine, when suddenly, he heard a crackling noise. Looking down, he realised that the noise had come from Clementine's walkie talkie, which was currently sitting in her bag.

_"Hell…o…oo…there?..."_ a scratchy voice said, barely above a whisper, coming through the walkie talkie.

"What the hell?" Kenny got out of his seat and moved over to Dallas, so that he could hear what was being said.

_"Can't wait for you to get to Savannah, Clementine. I've got your parents right her, and you be sure to find me whether Dallas or Lee want you to or not. Now, what I need is-"_

"Fuck…" Dallas whispered, looking down at the walkie talkie in shock.

"Isn't that fucking thing supposed to be broken?" Kenny asked, looking over at Clementine.

"Yes, it is," Dallas replied, looking at Clementine as well.

"Well, looks like someone knows where we're headed," Kenny stated, looking at the horizon.

"Who the fuck could it be?" Dallas asked, turning to his companion.

"Who knows. But whoever they are, I doubt we'll be happy once we find out," Kenny said, his gaze never faltering.

"On that, we can agree," Dallas said, looking out at the horizon, watching as Savannah grew ever closer, with a new threat growing closer than that.

* * *

**That's right, she's still alive. I knew you guys would be scared :D**

**I couldn't let her die, her and Lee are too cute for her to die, so she isn't dead, just injured ^_^**

**That marks the end of episode 3, YAY :D Episode 4 chapters shall be coming sooooooooon**

**Also, I have another story up now, the origins one, so you guys should totally go read that for me ;)**

**I shall see you guys soon, farewell my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	37. Chapter 37 - Infected Cityscape

Silence. This had seemed to become a running joke in the apocalypse, Dallas thought, as he and the group walked through the empty streets of Savannah, the only sound coming from their footsteps. It had been another couple of hours after they had spotted Savannah, that they had arrived, slowing the train down to a stop once they had arrived. Everyone had piled out of the train, and began walking into the city, hoping to find a boat as soon as they possibly could. Now, they were moving along the street, which looked almost war torn, looking at the wreckage around them. Dallas glanced over at Ben nearby, who was walking straight ahead, looking down at the ground as he walked. Dallas still couldn't believe that it had been Ben all along, Ben, who had caused the death of three different people, all because he was stupid enough to keep his mouth shut. He wasn't sure if he could ever look at him the same way again, his initial trust of him having faded away to barely anything. Next, he glanced over at Chuck, who had his guitar and a shovel on his back, a grim look on his face as he walked. Although they had only known him for less than a day, Dallas still felt that he was a trustworthy man, that he was someone that could be counted on if they ever got in a bind. Lee and Carley were walking along at the back of the group, the former helping the latter to walk properly, since her leg was still bad. The group were still unsure whether she was going to be able to make it or not, but Carley seemed to believe that she could do it, so who were they to tell her otherwise. She was definitely a badass. Kenny was at the head of the group, leading them through the infected cityscape, scanning the windows of each of the buildings they passed. He had been silent since they had left the train, choosing to just get moving, not wanting to waste any time with words. The couple, Christa and Omid, were walking along side by side, both of them as grim as the rest of the group. They had only joined the group a couple of hours ago, but they at least seemed like a good pair. They had been helpful when it came to saving Lee and Carley, both of them jumping into action to help them onto the train. Altogether, Dallas thought that their group was at least halfway decent. Finally, Dallas looked down at the little girl walking beside him, who kept glancing at his waist, where her walkie talkie was hanging. Ever since he had found out about the stranger on the other side of the walkie talkie, Dallas had decided it would be best to keep it with him at all times, just in case the man contacted her again. Clementine looked right up at Lee, trying once again to use her big brown eyes to her advantage.

"Can't I at least just hold it?" she asked, gesturing to the walkie talkie. Dallas looked down at her with a sigh, giving her a firm look.

"Not right now okay? Maybe later," Dallas told her, turning to look at the road in front of him once more. Clementine nodded her head and looked down at the ground sadly, kicking a pebbled as she went. Dallas slowed his pace a little to fall in step with Lee and Carley, a worried look on his face. "How's she doing?"

"Her leg's getting pretty bad," Lee said, grabbing Carley's hand as she stumbled to the side a little.

"I'm fine, don't worry," she reassured, still grasping Lee's hand as she continued walking.

"You are not fine Carley, you need a chance to rest," Lee told her, looking over at Dallas pleadingly. Getting the message, Dallas made his way to the front of the group, approaching Kenny.

"How long until we reach the river front do you think?" Dallas asked, once he was walking alongside Kenny.

"Should be another couple of blocks further," Kenny replied, his face remaining neutral as he spoke.

"Are we sure we're going to find boats there?" Christa asked, moving up to Kenny's other side.

"I really hope we do," Dallas said, looking at Christa.

"There'll be boats, don't worry. Have to be. Have to be." Dallas and Lee exchanged a worried look at Kenny's repeated words, knowing something was up.

"Everything will be fine. Kenny, Dallas and Lee all know what they're doing," Ben said, looking at the three people he spoke of. Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, a bell started ringing nearby, making everyone stop in their tracks as the sound echoed through the streets.

"What the hell?" Dallas said asked, looking around at the rooftops for the source of the noise. He noticed a church nearby, the sound of the bell more than likely coming from inside the tower.

"Maybe this city isn't quite as dead as we thought," Christa stated, scanning the area closely.

"Let's just keep moving. There ain't nobody ringing that dang bell, it's probably just automatic, on a timer or something," Kenny said, continuing to walk down the street.

"What kind of church bell goes off at twenty past the hour?" Lee asked, looking at his wristwatch, making Kenny stop in his tracks, his shoulders slumping. Dallas looked up at the church again, and saw someone staring down at them, disappearing as soon as he looked at them.

"I think there's someone up there," Dallas said, pointing up to the rooftops. Everyone looked up to where he was pointing, but no one saw anything, the figure having already disappeared.

"Are you sure Dallas, I don't see anything," Ben said, turning to Dallas, who gave him a glare.

"I know what I saw. There is someone up there, at the bell tower! Someone alive," he growled, looking around at the group. Suddenly, the walkie talkie on his belt crackled to life, and the voice from before came out.

_"If I were you, I'd get out of the street. Now"_

Everyone looked at Dallas in shock, being taken by surprise at the sudden speaking.

"I swear someone told me that thing was broken," Christa snarled, looking at Dallas angrily. Ignoring Christa, Dallas pulled the walkie talkie from his belt, pressing the button on the side.

"Who the hell is this?" Dallas asked, speaking into the walkie talkie. When he pulled his finger off of the button, all that came through was static. He pushed the button again, speaking into it once more. "Hello? Hello? Answer me godammit."

"Anything?" Carley asked, watching Dallas closely like everyone else. Dallas shook his head, placing the walkie talkie on his belt. Dallas shook his head, looking up at the bell tower once more. Soon, the bell stopped ringing and the group were dropped into silence once more.

"What in the hell was all that about? Is there somebody trying to fuck with us?" Omid asked, looking around at the rooftops.

"It sounded more like a warning to me," Ben theorised. Dallas glared at him once more, making Ben cower away in fear, avoiding his gaze.

"Ask not for whom the bell tolls…" Chuck suddenly said, looking down the street.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Kenny asked, looking over at the old man. As he was turning to look at him, he stopped and looked down the street, following Chuck's gaze. Everyone else started looking to, mixed faces of fear and shock masking everyone's faces. In front of them, was a small herd of walkers, who were slowing shuffling their way along the street, towards their group.

"It tolls for thee…" Chuck finished, pulling his shovel off of his back.

"RUN!" Dallas yelled, running down the street, the rest of the group following close behind. Kenny pulled his gun out of his pocket and fired at one of the walkers, sending it to the ground in seconds. Dallas pulled his crossbow off his back, slotting an arrow into the slot and firing, killing a walker himself. He didn't waste time in reloading, as everyone else pulled out their weapons, taking down walkers as they went. Chuck struck down his own walker, just as Christa shot down that got to close to him with her gun. Carley shot her gun twice, managing to kill two with one shot, but only one with the other. Clementine ran up to Dallas and stayed as close as she could, running to keep up with him and the rest of the group as they made their way down the street. Dallas fired his crossbow at another walker, loading another arrow into a few seconds after the last one flew away. Chuck continued to run down the street, swinging his shovel around wildly as he went, mowing down walkers left and right, clearing the way for the group to move down the street. After taking down another walker, Dallas looked over at Kenny, who fell to the ground, a walker having grabbed his ankle.

"Help!" he shouted, reaching out for his gun.

"Kenny!" Dallas shouted, aiming his crossbow at the walkers head. He fired and the arrow flew away, only managing to hit it in the shoulder. Cursing under his breath, he went to reload, but a shot rang out before he could do anything the walker falling dead. Dallas turned around to find Carley, her gun aimed at the now dead walker.

"Thanks," Kenny called, picking his gun up and standing, continuing the run down the street. Dallas nodded his thanks, loading another bow into the crossbow. The group continued down the street, searching around frantically for somewhere they could hide.

"Ben!" Dallas turned around to see Clementine and Ben, both of them surrounded by a small group of walkers.

"Clementine!" he shouted, letting off an arrow. It lodged into the closest walker and it fell to the ground, only to be replaced by another.

"Dallas, help!" Clementine screamed, fearfully looking at the walkers encroaching on her space.

"Ben, help her!" Dallas shouting, reloading his crossbow. Ben looked down at the fearful Clementine and back at the walkers, closing his eyes before turning around and running away, leaving a frantic Clementine behind. "You fucker Ben!"

Dallas put his crossbow back on his back and pulled out his rifle, aiming it at the nearby walkers. He began shooting down the walkers, taking down any that got to close to him or Clementine. He continued to take down as many as he could, but he was unable to stop the walker stumbling towards Clementine, who started screaming. Dallas started running towards her frantically, not wanting to lose the most important thing in his life.

"Don't worry darling." Chuck came up from behind the walker and smacked it over the head, making its head concave, as it fell to the ground.

"Thank you so much," Dallas said, hugging Clementine tightly.

"Get her out of here, I'll catch up with you!" Chuck shouted, whacking another walker over the head.

"We're not leaving you behind," Carley shouted, shooting down more walkers.

"Agreed, let's go Chuck, now!" Dallas yelled, leading the way down the street again, Chuck, Clementine, Lee and Carley not far behind, the rest of the group already ahead of them.

'Move your asses everyone, River Street is just up ahead," Kenny shouted, pointing down a nearby road.

"That's not all," Ben pointed out, looking down the street. The street ahead was full of walkers, all of them stumbling towards them.

"Can someone give me a fuckin' break for once?" Kenny screamed, firing at one of the walkers in frustration.

"The gate, let's go through the gate!" Christa shouted, leading the group over to a nearby gate. Everyone piled through the gate, Dallas being at the end. He looked down the street one last time, glancing at the church, before following everyone through, not looking back.

* * *

**The opening of Episode 4...HERE IT IS!**

**And that is right, I saved Chuck, praise me viewers, praise me now! :P**

**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and are pumped for the rest of the story ^_^**

**Farewell my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	38. Chapter 38 - That Was Close

Before long, Dallas caught up with the rest of the group, running into the backyard of a very large house. Once Dallas came into the yard, Lee closed the gate behind him, instantly walking over to Carley, who was currently on the ground writhing in pain.

"You okay?" Dallas asked, moving over to sit beside Carley, while Lee kneeled at her other side.

"I'm fine, it's fine," she reassured him, groaning in pain as Lee touched her leg.

"You are not fine Carley, you opened up your wound again from all that running, you're bleeding," Lee said, examining her wound. "We need to get him inside now, so we can clean it up before it becomes infected."

"Kenny? How's that door coming?" Dallas called, running over to him.

"I'm working on it, I'm working on it, don't rush me," Kenny snapped, going back to examining the door.

"Just try to get the door open as quickly as possible," Lee said calmly, holding Carley's hand. "Who knows how long it will be until those things get in here."

"I know Lee, I'll try to move as fast as I can, I promise," Kenny said evenly, looking at his friend. The two share a knowing look and went back to their respective tasks.

"I'll try and find another way in, just in case we can't get that door open," Dallas offered, moving over to the windows. Nearby, Ben walked up beside him, a regretful look on his face.

"Listen, Dallas-" he began to say, before Dallas turned on him angrily.

"You left her to die you fucker. She almost died because of your cowardice," Dallas snapped, glaring at the teen.

"I was scared okay, I didn't know what to do," Ben said, cowering away a little.

"You could've saved her! I was almost ready to forgive you for what happened, for all the people you killed. But then, you nearly let the most important thing in the world to me right now almost die. How could I ever forgive you for that? How?!" Dallas shouted, gaining a few stray eyes, everyone interested in what was going.

"I'm sorry," was all Ben could say, as he looked down at his shoes, not being able to meet Dallas' eyes.

"Just leave me alone for now okay, or I might be tempted to rip your head off," Dallas growled, trying to pull one of the boards off of the window.

"Okay." Ben started to walk away before Dallas grabbed his arm, spinning him back around.

"One last thing, never put Clementine in danger again," Dallas said, letting go of Ben's arm. He nodded his head and walked away, going to examine one of the other windows. Shaking his head, he kicked the wall and leant against the window, trying to calm himself down.

"You know you won't be able to blame that boy forever." Dallas looked up to see Chuck standing beside him, leaning on the wall.

"Doesn't mean I can't hold a grudge and throw some dirty looks his way," Dallas said, looking back down at the ground.

"Listen son, being brave doesn't come as naturally to all of us like it does to you and some of these other folks here. That boy Ben? He's no exception," Chuck told him, looking over at Ben. Dallas moved himself away from wall and looked over at Ben, who was half-heartedly poking at the boards over the window, quickly putting more energy into it when he saw Dallas staring.

"I almost lost her Chuck. How could I forgive him for that?" Dallas asked, turning to the old man, who chuckled to himself.

"I never said you had to forgive him right away. Just give it a little time, give him time to redeem himself. Then, after all that, you should at least talk to him. I can tell that he lives to serve others, he just needs the chance," Chuck explained. Dallas nodded his head in understanding, looking at Chuck again.

"You're right, I never act like that. It's funny how someone you care about can bring the best and the worst out of you," Dallas laughed quietly, glancing over at Clementine, who was standing by the gate.

"You should go talk to the girl, see how she's doing. It'll get your mind off of things," Chuck suggested, nodding his head to the girl.

"Thanks Chuck," Dallas said, walking past him to get to Clementine. She was staring out past the gate, listening to the groaning of the passing walkers, scared that they might make it through.

"Do you think they saw us run back here? Will they find us? Are we going to be okay?" she questioned, after hearing his footsteps behind her.

"Don't worry Clem, I'm sure that even if they did see us, we should be able to take care of them. We're a good group," he reassured her, kneeling down in front of her.

"But I can still hear them moving around out there. They could be getting closer, what if they're getting closer?" she asked again, turning around to look at him.

"It's just your imagination. If they get to close, I promise I won't ever let you get hurt," he assured her, smiling at her.

"I know you will. I guess I'll feel a little safer when we get inside the house," she said, looking down at her feet.

"It shouldn't be too long, go wait with Lee and Carley while we have a look, okay?" Dallas said, gesturing over to the couple nearby. Nodding her head, she went over and sat beside Carley, holding her hand for comfort.

"You feeling any better?" Dallas asked, walking up to them.

"I'm doing alright, considering," Carley reply, wincing in pain right on cue.

"You are not all right, okay? Like I said, you've reopened your wound, you're slowly losing blood, and who knows what might've gotten in there. It might be infected. It might be-" Lee started to say, becoming frantic, before Carley rested her hand on his cheek.

"Lee, calm down. I'm going to be fine, have a little faith in me," she said, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek.

"I'm sorry, I just, I don't want to lose you. Whether it be from an infected leg or anything else," Lee choked, a stray tear hanging in his eye.

"Try not to worry Lee, this kind of thing always looks worse than it is, trust me," Dallas reassured him with a smile.

"See, Dallas agrees with me, stop mollycoddling me," Carley joked, nudging Lee playfully.

"Fine, fine. I'm still going to watch you though," Lee said, grasping her hand tightly.

"Can't argue with that. You couldn't keep your eyes off of me since day one," she laughed. Leaving Lee and Carley to laugh at each other, while he moved away, walking over to talk to Omid and Christa.

"Hey Dallas," Omid greeted happily, once he was closer.

"Hey guys, I'm just going around to see how everyone is doing," Dallas said, standing in front of the pair.

"We're doing fine, considering the situation at the moment," Christa replied, glancing outside the fence, noticing a walker moving down the street nearby.

"I really hope those things don't find us," Omid said, watching the walker with his wife.

"Hopefully we will find a way into the house soon, so we shouldn't have to worry for too long," Dallas reassured them.

"Dallas, Lee, can you come over here?" Kenny called from the back door. Dallas nodded to Omid and Christa before walking over to meet Kenny, meeting up with Lee on the way.

"Any progress?" Lee asked, once the pair were standing with Kenny.

"The damn thing is locked up tight. It's far too heavy to force open, without a whole lot of noise to go with it," Kenny answered, kicking the door in annoyance.

"There could be another way in," Lee pointed out, scanning along the house.

"Yeah, tell me when you find it," Kenny scoffed, turning to the door again.

"Do we reckon anyone is inside this place. It's boarded up pretty well," Dallas commented, looking up at all the boarded windows.

"If there were anyone here, they woulda been out here by now, thanks to all the noise we're makin'. Whoever was here did a pretty good job though, on that we can agree. It'll be a good place to lay low for a while, so we can figure out what to do now," Kenny said, looking up at the house with Dallas.

"Listen, Kenny, I've been meaning to ask, how're you doing, how're you holding up?" Dallas asked, looking at his friend with concern.

"Maybe later Dallas, we should focus on getting inside before we have an episode of Dr. Phil," Kenny replied, turning back to the door. Sighing, Dallas went to turn around and continue searching the yard, when he noticed Lee bend down in front of the door.

"What is it?' Dallas asked, bending down beside him to see what he was looking at. In front of them, built into the door, was a pet door, already to be opened.

"Looks like a pet door, our only problem is that the damn thing is locked," Lee said, pushing on the door experimentally.

"What in the hell is the point of a locked doggie door?" Kenny snickered, looking down at it.

"I have." Everyone turned around to look at Omid, who had moved over with Christa to examine the pet door. "My neighbour had one just like that. It's radio controlled. The dog wears a collar with a chip in it, so the door only opens when the dog gets close to it.

"Well would you look at that, we have another teacher," Kenny joked, between Omid and Lee.

"Alright then, but… where's the dog?" Ben asked. Everyone looked around the yard but found no trace that any dog had been nearby recently, their eyes falling on the nearby grave.

"Please don't tell me it's in there," Dallas said, feeling sick at the thought of the dead body of a dog.

"I'll dig it up, don't worry," Chuck said, pulling his shovel off of his back, walking over to the grave, everyone close behind him. The group surrounded the grave as Chuck stuck the shovel into the dirt, beginning a small pile next to it.

"Hey, be careful okay? These days, digging up dead things isn't exactly the same as it used to be," Omid pointed out, standing beside his girlfriend as he watched Chuck dig up the grave.

"Duly noted," Chuck said, the pile of dirt getting bigger and bigger. Clementine walked over to stand beside Dallas, looking down at the grave as it went deeper and deeper.

"Clem, could you go sit with Carley for a while please," Dallas said, turning her away from the grave.

"But I want to see why it smells so much," Clementine complained, refusing to move.

"Come one Clementine, come sit with me while they work," Carley said, patting the ground beside her. Clementine walked over reluctantly and sat down in a huff, looking a little unhappy with Dallas' decision.

"Never let her win, or she'll walk all over you, good job," Christa whispered, making Dallas roll his eyes.

"I think I found the dog," Chuck said, sticking his shovel into the large pile of dirt. Inside the grave, was the dead body of a dog, it's bones easily being seen sticking out of its furless body.

"God that smells," Ben wretched, covering his mouth with his hand. Chuck leant down to examine the dog, noticing the collar was still around its neck. He reached in and grabbed the collar, having a little trouble pulling it away.

"The darn thing is stuck," Chuck grumbled, trying to pull the collar off. As he tried pulling It off once more, the head lagged down and fell off, a loud squelching sound following it.

"God that's gross," Dallas commented, as Christa turned around and began vomiting.

"Are you okay hon?" Omid asked, patting his girlfriend's back until her had finished purging.

"I'm fine, don't worry, it's just the smell," Christa reassured him, resting her hands on her legs.

"Are you sure it isn't-" Omid began to say, before Christa kicking him in the leg, making him stop talking.

"I said I'm fine, okay?" Christa snapped, looking at Omid apologetically from kicking his leg. Chuck, Lee, Kenny and Dallas all walked back over to the door, collar ready to go.

"Who would like to do the honours?" Chuck asked, dangling the dog collar out in front of him.

"I think Lee should, since he pointed out the door," Dallas suggested. Nodding, Lee took the collar out of Chuck's hand and leant down, and put the collar near the door, hearing a click, as the light on the door switched to green.

"Hell yeah!' Kenny exclaimed, practically jumping for joy.

"Let's not get to excited yet, we still need to figure out how this will get us into the house," Chuck said, bringing Kenny down a little. Clementine ran over to the door excitedly, holding Dallas' hand while Lee leant down to the ground, sticking his hand through the pet door.

"You see anything in there?" Ben asked, watching Lee look inside the house.

"I don't see much, it looks like it's probably been empty for a while now," Lee replied, coming away from the door. Groans could be suddenly heard from all around, everyone looking around in fear.

"Whatever you guys are doing, could we do it fast?" Carley asked, trying to stand up. Lee ran to her side and put her arm around his shoulder, bringing her over to the door.

"I tried reaching up to get the lock, but I couldn't reach it," Lee told her, as they got closer to the door.

"I could give it a shot, maybe I could-" Dallas began to say, moving toward the door, before Clementine pulled out of his grip and got on her hands and knees, crawling through the pet door before anyone could stop her.

"Clem, are you okay in there? Say something, anything!" Dallas exclaimed, moving closer to the door. She didn't reply, making everyone worry as they all moved towards the door, ready to knock it down at a moment's notice. The next thing they knew, they heard a small click and the door was opened, revealing Clementine on the other side.

"Ta-da!" she cheered, flourishing her hands in the air.

"Good job Clem," Dallas praised, kneeling down to hug her.

"I did good?" She asked happily, returning his hug.

"Of course. But next time, I want you to warn me before you do something like that, okay?" Dallas asked her, giving her a firm look.

"I know, I'll tell you next time," she promised, putting her pinkie out to him. He gave her his own and they shook on it, the two of them laughing as Kenny rolled his eyes nearby.

"As fun as this is, do you think we could get inside? My leg hurt's like hell right now," Carley said, as Lee brought her towards the door. Kenny stepped through the door first, looking from side to side before motioning for everyone else to follow him through.

"Everybody inside, I think we're okay," Kenny said stepping into the house. Everyone moved into the house and started moving around slowly, examining the area as they went. Dallas was the last person into the house, closing the door behind him as he went in, blocking the walkers from coming in.

* * *

**Chuck is alive, and so is Carley**

**But Carley's leg is not doing good**

**And Omid is in tip top shape...**

**My how things change aye :P**

**I got a new idea for this story tonight, which I hope will get you guys thinking when I add it in. Its not until much later in the chapters, like towards the end of the episode, so don't get your hopes too high ^_^**

**Farewell fro now my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**

**P.S. Rebloxic, you should totally follow and favourite this story, and maybe even me as an author, since you love to review this fanfic... ;D**

**Just a suggestion .**


	39. Chapter 39 - A New Home

Once everyone was inside the house, Lee pulled Carley into the nearby living room, placing her on the couch, so she could lie down and rest her leg.

"You okay?" Lee asked, kneeling down in front of her.

"I'm fine, don't worry. Go talk to everyone, I'll be fine right here," Carley reassured him, stroking his cheek. Everyone else waited around the kitchen for Lee to come back, before any words were exchanged.

"So, when were you planning on telling all of us that the radio was working?" Christa asked Dallas accusingly.

"Does it really matter all that much?" Kenny questioned, crossing his arms.

"There is someone else on the end of that thing. It would've been nice to know that before we all had to find out second hand," Christa snapped, turning to Kenny.

"We were going to tell you guys, but the time just didn't seem right. Kenny and I only found out yesterday," Dallas explained, a calmer face on Christa's face as he spoke.

"You were still keeping that from the rest of us. Great," Christa scoffed, crossing her own arms.

"Why do we even give a shit about this damn radio? I'm more interested in whoever the fucker is that was ringing the bell, bringing all those dead down on us like a tonne of bricks. For all we know, they were probably trying to stop us from getting to the river," Kenny theorised, becoming a little angry.

"Why can't it be the same person? Whoever it was that contacted us on that radio, would've been close enough to see where we were. We didn't see anyone else at all, apart from the figure that Dallas saw up on the rooftops," Christa pointed out.

"That doesn't even make any sense though. Why would that guy want to bring the dead out to greet us, but then go ahead and warn us that it was going to happen?" Kenny argued, glaring at Christa, becoming quite irritated.

"How much sense does anything make anymore? In case you hadn't noticed, or realised, there are a shit load of twisted folks in this fucked up world right now. At least those walkers don't play games with you. They just stumble around, searching for their next meal," Christa claimed, glaring back at the man.

"Whoever this guy is, it looks like he's following us around. And I have a personal preference that says I don't like being followed," Dallas said, looking between his two companions.

"Yet another reason that we should go and find ourselves a damn boat. That way, no one can follow us," Kenny said, bringing up his original argument.

"We can't go back out there right now. With the way Carley's leg is messed up, she needs time to rest," Lee put in, finally joining the conversation, after watching it go back and forth.

"Agreed. We all could use a rest after what we just went through. We stay here for a little while, check the place out, and then we can think about going down to the river," Dallas said, getting approving nods from the group.

"Whatever you say boss man. But I won't be waiting around much longer for someone else to go steal any leftover boats. Those things are our ticket out of here, they might be our last opportunity to escape," Kenny said, moving away into the dining room.

"Place seems secure at least," Ben pointed out, looking at the rooms around him.

"I'll feel a whole lot better when we know that for sure. We should probably check out the whole house, see what we can find," Christa suggested, Dallas nodding his head at her suggestion.

"Sounds like a plan. Kenny, Ben and Chuck, you can go and check upstairs, check every room that you can. Lee and Omid, you guy can help me search down here. Christa and Clem, go sit and watch over Carley, this shouldn't take long. Everyone understand?" Dallas asked, looking at the group of people around him. Everyone nodded their heads and moved away, going to their assigned areas, all except for Lee.

"You're becoming quite a leader," Lee smiled, seeming quite proud.

"I know I'm probably too young to be giving orders out to people. Just tell me if you don't like what I'm said and you can do all the leading," Dallas said, looking down at his shoes.

"You're doing fine. You're the most level headed person in this group at the moment, you're the best choice for a leader," Lee said, placing his hands on Dallas' shoulders.

"Hey guys, do you have anything I could borrow, just in case I come across something that needs killing?" Omid asked, appearing out of nowhere.

"Of course, use my wrench, I have a knife, so I can survive without it," Dallas replied, offering the monkey wrench to Omid.

"Thanks buddy," Omid said, moving away into the living room to check the two doors in there.

"I'll go check out the closest nearby, you look around the kitchen," Lee ordered, turning around to go do as he said. Clementine still had yet to leave, now walking up to Dallas, looking up at him.

"Can I help at all? There could be another locked door for me to open," Clem said, looking up at Dallas with her big brown eyes.

"I reckon you've been helpful enough for today Clem. How about you go sit with Christa and watch over Carley for me, see if she needs anything," Dallas suggested, rubbing the top of her head playfully.

"Fine," she groaned, walking over to the living room to sit near Carley. Dallas moved into the kitchen next, moving over to the closest cupboard and opening it, finding it to be empty. He closed it and moved over to the next one, also finding it empty as well. He moved through the kitchen and kept on coming up empty, the only thing he found being the large bag of dog food lying on the bench. Thinking he had searched just about everywhere he could, he moved into the dining room, to see what he could find on the table. He found a bottle of whiskey on the table, picking it up to examine it. He placed it back on the table, knowing that Chuck would probably find it sooner or later. He moved into the living room at the same time as Lee and Omid, both of them coming up empty as well.

"Find anything?" Dallas asked, moving around the couch to sit on the arm rest of Clementine's chair.

"Didn't find a thing," Omid replied, sitting next to his wife.

"Nothing alive or dead either," Lee agreed, kneeling down to take Carley's hand.

"At least we can stay here for a while, until everything is quiet outside," Dallas said, standing back up.

"That's very good, safety is good," Christa said, smiling up at Dallas. He turned to look at Lee, who was holding Carley's hand, as he watched her sleep peacefully.

"Is she doing any better?" Dallas asked, kneeling beside her.

"I think so, at least for now. I'm still worried that he leg might be infected though. You didn't happen to find any meds or bandages in the kitchen did you?" Lee asked hopefully, looking like he already knew the answer.

"No, sorry. I promise if I find anything, you'll be the first to know," Dallas assured, him, giving Le's shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"While you boys were looking around, I asked Clementine is she knew who was on the other end of the radio," Christa told them, walking over to kneeling front of Clementine. "It's okay sweetie, you can tell us. "We just want to know who it is. What does he want?"

"She's right Clem, go ahead," Dallas said, nodding to the girl.

"He's just friend. He doesn't want to hurt any of us. I think," Clementine replied, looking up at Dallas fearfully.

"And what has he been telling you? In fact, what have you been telling him?" Christa asked, a slight tone of anger creeping into her voice.

"No need to give her the third degree Christa," Dallas scolded, moving towards Clementine, kneeling beside Christa.

"It's okay Dallas. I told him I was looking for my parents, that they were supposed to be somewhere in Savannah. He seems really nice. He wants to help me find them," Clementine explained, looking between the two kneeled in front of her.

"Now, Clementine, what you need to understand is-" Dallas began to explain, before he was cut off by someone shouting.

"Dallas!" Ben shouted, running down the stairs noisily. Standing up, Dallas ran over the stairs to meet him, wondering what was going on.

"What's wrong?" Dallas asked, taking the few steps up the stairs to meet him.

"You just need to get up here right now," Ben pleaded, bravely grabbing Dallas' arm to pull him along, even though he knew he shouldn't.

"What is going on? Just tell me," Dallas snapped, pulling away from Ben.

"It's Kenny," Ben said, making Dallas snap to attention. In almost an instant, he began running up the stairs, pushing right past Ben, who wasn't far behind. As Ben showed Dallas the way to finding Kenny, he could hear footsteps following them up the stairs. Ben pointed up to the attic, the ladder now down, ready for anyone to go up and look.

"What is he doing up there?" Dallas asked, slowly approaching the ladder.

"He said he thought he heard something up there, so he went to go and check it out," Ben replied, walking alongside Dallas, while still keeping his distance.

"He's seriously up there?" Dallas asked, making it to the ladder and grabbing the first rung.

"And Chuck is up there as well, trying to get him to come down. He won't listen to either of us though," Ben explained, looking up into the attic. Dallas turned around to find that Omid had followed them up, probably sent by Christa so she could stay updated.

"Wait here, I'll be back," Dallas said, mounting the ladder. He slowly moved up the ladder slowly, being careful with where he was placing his feet as he went. Once he reached the top, he stuck his head through the hole and found Kenny and Chuck. Kenny was on the ground, looking like he had sunk to his knees in defeat, while Chuck was standing by, watching him closely.

"I don't think he'll be listening to you anytime soon son," Chuck told him, helping him up the last of the ladder.

"Has he moved from that position at all?" Dallas asked, watching Kenny carefully.

"Nope, he's just sat there, practically dead to the world," Chuck replied, shaking his head slightly.

"Kenny? Hey, Kenny. You okay?" Dallas asked, slowly approaching him.

"I don't think you're going to like what you see," Chuck warned Dallas as he walked towards Kenny. Dallas moved over to Kenny slowly, and he was soon standing beside him, being overwhelmed by a powerful stench.

"Damn. What in the hell is that smell?" Before he looked over to Chuck for an answer, he look over at the other end of the attic, his question being answered for him. Right near the window, barely being able to move properly, was a bone thing boy, who had reanimated into a walker. The thing that made it worse, was that it closely resemble Duck, helping Dallas to fit all the pieces together. The boy started to walk towards them, its weak jaws scraping as it moved towards them. It didn't make it more than two steps, before its legs collapsed under it, sending it to the ground. It looked back up and started reaching out, desperately trying to get something to eat.

"Looks kinda like Duck. Don't you think?" Dallas looked down at Kenny who had spoken his first words since he had come in.

"Poor kid. What the hell could've happened to him up here?" Dallas asked no one in particular.

"He's got no meat on his bones. Probably was hiding up here, and starved to death," Kenny answered, looking down at the ground.

"Are you okay?" Dallas asked, placing a hand on Kenny's shoulder.

"I don't know if I can do this Dallas. I couldn't bring myself to do it before, and I don't know if I can do it now," Kenny said, turning his head to look up at Dallas, tears falling from his eyes.

"Listen, I know you couldn't do it before. I wasn't going to let you do it in the first place, it was your own son. But this is someone completely different okay? This might be able to help you, you know, move past it," Dallas suggested. Nodding his head, Kenny moved onto his feet and pulled out his pistol, walking over to thing boy.

"May god have mercy on his soul," Chuck whispered, bowing his head in prayer, as Kenny fired his gun, killing the boy. Kenny stumbled back, dropping his gun on the ground, as he broke out into a fit of tears. Dallas quickly ran over to him and pulled the man into a hug, trying his best to comfort the fully grown man.

"It's okay Kenny, it's okay. You did good, shh," Dallas crooned, patting Kenny's back like he would whenever he was trying to get Clementine to stop crying.

"I'll bring the boy down to Lee and we'll go bury him," Chuck offered, moving over to pick up the boy.

"Thanks," Dallas said, nodding his thanks to Chuck, who nodded back. Chuck lifted the boy up to his arms and walked over to the ladder, disappearing from sight as he went back down. Slowly, Dallas led Kenny over to a nearby couch, seating him on it so that Kenny was a little more comfortable.

"He's dead, I killed him. It's all my fault," Kenny sobbed, still not letting go of Dallas once he was seated on the couch, pulling Dallas down with him.

"You can't blame yourself Kenny, no one would've expected that those assholes would attack us," Dallas reassured him, knowing that he was talking about Duck and not the boy he had just shot.

"If I had been watching out for my family, rather than worrying about that fuckin' RV, we never would've been in this mess, I never would've lost my wife, my son," Kenny continued, pulling away from Dallas to punch the side of the couch.

"You know you wouldn't have been able to stop that Kenny. There were bandits everywhere. Even if you had been trying to save them, you would've either been shot or stuck trying to save them with us. Events played out the way they did and that's that. You can't change something that would've happened anyway," Dallas told him, being quite firm with his tone.

"But what if I had helped you? Maybe they could've come over quicker. If they had moved quicker, maybe they would've got away from the walker quicker, what if…" Kenny trailed off, looking at Dallas' face, his tears having stopped flowing.

"I'm sorry Kenny. I really am. Katjaa and Duck were a part of my family as well. I know it isn't the same thing, but I still felt close to both of them. You can't just keep thinking about the maybes and what ifs of what happened, otherwise, you'll be stuck in the past, never being able to look to the future. So please Kenny, try to get these thoughts out of your mind so that you can focus on the now, focus on those that are still living," Dallas said, holding Kenny's gaze, daring him to look away. Kenny met Dallas' gaze evenly, his eyes still sparkling with tears, making his red eyes glisten.

"I'm sorry," Kenny said, falling forward to lean his head on Dallas' pulling his hat off to do so.

"You may not have your true family, but you have the rest of us. Lee, Clementine, Carley, we are your surrogate family, whether you like it or not," Dallas told him, putting an arm around Kenny's shoulders.

"Thank you," Kenny quietly sniffed, the last of his tears staining the shoulder of Dallas' shirt. They sat there for another couple of minutes, giving Kenny time to calm down a little. Just as Dallas was about ready to lead Kenny out of the attic, there was loud noises outside, someone was shouting.

"You stay the hell away from us, you hear?!" It was Lee. Dallas jumped up from the couch instantly, not waiting to see if Kenny was following him. After jumping down from the attic, he ran downstairs, moving to the back door to go outside, finding Ben and Christa already there.

"What's going on?" he asked, panting from running all the way through the house. He looked over at Lee, who's hands were grasping the fence, as he looked outside, searching for something.

"He said he saw someone standing out there, watching us," Christa explained, as Lee turned around to come over and greet them. Chuck was leaning against the wall nearby, watching the group closely.

"And he bolted away as soon as Lee here spotted him," Chuck finished, standing with his arms crossed.

"Do we know if it was a man or a woman?" Christa asked, wanting to know who this stranger was.

"I didn't see them clearly enough," Lee replied, looking back over at the fence, as if the figure was still standing there.

"What does it matter?" Ben asked, turning to Christa.

"It matters, because if it's a man, then it could be the guy on the other end of the radio," Dallas said, not looking at Ben. Just as Ben was about to respond to that, the door swung open and Kenny stepped out, looking beaten half to death.

"Kenny?" Lee asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, don't worry. Dallas helped me and…I'm fine. What's all the ruckus about?" he asked, looking around the group for an answer, as Clementine came up behind him, poking her head out the door.

"Lee and Chuck saw someone watching us from outside the fence over there," Ben explained, pointing over to said fence.

"What? Who was it?" Kenny asked, looking over at the fence.

"Can't be sure. Before I could get a good look at them, they ran away," Lee replied, sounding annoyed with himself.

"I don't like this at all, its freaky," Ben stated, getting nods of agreement from the group.

"Agreed. The dead roaming about are one thing, but just thinking about someone being out there, stalking us…" Christa trailed off, shivering slightly.

"All right, that is it. We've stayed for long enough. We need to get going down to the river so that we can find ourselves a boat," Kenny said, some vigour coming back into his previously defeated tone.

"I don't think Carley is well enough to get moving yet, she's still unconscious in there," Lee said, with a slight tone of fear.

"Well you had better go wake her then, because we all need to get movin' down to river street to find us a boat. As soon as she is up and running, we're moving out," Kenny said, turning around to go back inside.

"As much as I agree with you Kenny, you can't expect her to just get up and walk, the way her leg is right now," Dallas said, making Kenny spin back around.

"Well we need to get movin' so what do ya'll suggest we do?" Kenny questioned, looking around the group once more.

"Some of us could stay here, in the house, so that we have somewhere to come back to, just in case. Kenny and I can go out to find a boat, while the rest of you search the house from top to bottom for any supplies. Some of you could even search the general area to find stuff while we're gone, as long as you're careful. Lee can watch over Carley while this is all happening. Sound like a plan?" Dallas asked, looking around the group hopefully. Thankfully, everyone nodded in agreement, liking the sound of Dallas' plan.

"Can I come too? My mum and dad could be out there somewhere, maybe if we have a look around, we could find them at the river," Clementine said, looking up at Dallas expectantly.

"Sorry Clem, but I need you to stay here, so you can help search the house, and watch out for Lee and Carley, so we'll be ready to get going once we find a boat," Dallas told her, knowing she wasn't going to like it.

"But you said back on the train that I should always stay close to you, that we're a team," Clementine argued.

"I know, I know. It will be just this once. Sometimes we have to think about what is good for the group first, and put aside what we want to do. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know, you won't even notice I'm gone," he reassured her with a smile. Clementine nodded her head and hug Dallas around the waist, not looking like she would be letting go to easily.

"Daylight's burning. I'm gonna go get my gear, and then we can head out there," Kenny told Dallas, heading back into the house.

"I'll go grab Omid and we can go search some of the nearby houses, see if we can't turn up any meds for Carley," Christa suggested, following Kenny into the house.

"Come on Clem, let's go check on Carley," Lee said, offering his hand to Clementine. She pulled away from Dallas reluctantly and started walking away, glancing back at Dallas as she did.

"So, you're just leaving me on the bench here?" Ben asked, a slight stutter in his voice.

"I'm giving you a chance to make up for what you did okay? I need you to watch Clem for me while I'm gone, and you can't stuff up this time," Dallas told him.

"You're willing to forgive me?" Ben questioned, looking surprised.

"Yes, I'm giving you a second chance. Don't stuff it up. Also, if you see anyone or anything come up to the house and try to get inside. Shoot them. Don't think twice about it. Got it?" Dallas asked, as Ben nodded his head furiously.

"I have no problem with that at all. Walkers I can deal with," Ben reassured Dallas, who gave him a look. Sighing he bowed his head, knowing what he meant. "I'll try my best."

"Good, time to get going then." Dallas said, walking back into the house behind Ben, closing the door as he entered. He walked to the living room and picked up his weapons, checking how many arrows he had leftover. If his counting was correct, he only had 15 arrows left, so he would have to make them count, collecting them when he could. He made sure there was plenty of ammo still in his rifle and that his knife was secured to his belt, along with his wrench. Once he had checked all this, he was ready to go, moving back over to the back door to wait for Kenny to come to get there. A minute or so later, Kenny appeared out of the living room and moved towards the door, opening it.

"Let's get moving shall we?" The pair exited the house, and turned the corner, sliding open the gate that led out into the street.

* * *

**This is quite a long one isn't it :P**

**Hope it is quite enjoyable for you, its an interesting twist having Omid and Christa become more active in the group, since one doesn't have to worry about the other anymore. But what about Lee and Carley? What will that mean for them? DUN DUN DUN ^_^**

**You all know who will be showing up in the next chapter, I hope you're as excited as I am :3**

**Farewell for now my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	40. Chapter 40 - A Strange Town Indeed

After about ten minutes of walking, Kenny and Dallas found the way to River Street, starting their trek to the river. As they walked, Dallas looked up at all the broken windows, noticing that there wasn't one window along the street that wasn't boarded up, all of them having planks of wood crisscrossing each open space. Along the street, were many different wrecked cars, a couple missing their doors, others with smashed in windows and headlights. While Dallas examined a few cars as they walked along the street, Kenny just continued to walk, his stare looking straight ahead, not focusing on anything else but what was in front of him. Ever since what happened in the attic, Dallas had started to become increasingly worried about Kenny. Even when he exited the house, he just seemed void of any real emotions, other than anger, and if he wasn't angry, his face was just neutral, no feelings at all. Dallas was starting to wonder whether letting him kill the boy in the attic was such a good idea now. Was it the best thing for him? Did it really help him to move past Duck and Katjaa's death? Or had it just made him more of a black hole?

"You okay Kenny?" Dallas asked, following Kenny's trail down the street.

"I'm just peachy," Kenny replied, keeping his gaze ahead of him.

"Listen, about what happened back there, back in the attic, I just wanted to-" Dallas began to ask, before Kenny scoffed.

"There's nothing to talk about. What happened, happened. That's it," Kenny said, shaking his head.

"But I thought-" Dallas tried again.

"River's right up ahead," Kenny stated, cutting Dallas off. Knowing Kenny wasn't listening to him, Dallas dropped the subject, deciding to bring it back up later when Kenny was in a much better mindset. After another couple of minutes or so of walking, a bell started ringing off in the distance, its chimes echoing through the dead city.

"God fuckin' dammit. That fuckin' bastard is screwing with us again. It has to be another trap," Kenny exclaimed, pulling his gun from his back pocket.

"Wait, listen. I don't think it's the same bells from before. This one seems to be a little further away. Whatever it is, it will get the dead moving over there, rather than here," Dallas pointed out, listening to the bell closely. As if on cue, Dallas and Kenny heard some loud groaning from behind them, turning around to see a herd of walkers moving along the next street over. Motioning to a nearby doorway, Kenny led Dallas over, both of them getting down low, so the walkers couldn't see them.

"What the fuck is going on in this town?" Kenny questioned, watching the walkers walking along the road.

"There has to be someone ringing those bells out there. Why they are doing, is the question," Dallas thought aloud, observing the walkers as well.

"Whatever you say son. In the end, I find the mother fucker that's ringing those bells, I'll ring their mother fucking bell," Kenny swore, making Dallas cringe at the amount of profanities.

"Is that language really necessary?" Dallas questioned, looking back at Kenny.

"Does it look like I fuckin' care?" Rolling his eyes, Dallas turned his attention back to the walkers, watching as the last of the walkers vanished from view.

"We had better get moving," Dallas said, leading Kenny away from their hiding spot, back along the street. They continued along the road, making their way to River street once more. Before long, the pair reached the end of the road and found River Street, finding something they were really hoping they wouldn't. Right in front of them was the river they were looking for but, from what they could see, it was looking a little short of boats.

"There's gotta be a boat, there just has to be," Kenny said, staring out at the water.

"I'm sorry Kenny, but you can see it with your own eyes. There are no boats left. Maybe we should start thinking about a plan B" Dallas said, reaching for Kenny's shoulder.

"This is the plan! It's the only one we have left Dallas. You've been agreeing with me the whole way, you've been on my side from day one. Please don't give up on this now. We can't give up that easily. That isn't how you work, I know it," Kenny exclaimed, turning around to face his friend.

"I know Kenny, I know," Dallas said, looking down at the ground, scratching his head sheepishly. "Maybe we could have a look around, see if we can find anything."

"Now you're talking," Kenny beamed, turning around to run down to the docks. Kenny jumped down to the docks and moved over to the closest boat, examining it closely, while Dallas moved up to the docks behind him. "This one could still be salvageable you know."

"You're not serious are you? Half that thing is submerged in water," Dallas remarked, staring at the waterlogged boat.

"Not much else that we can do Dallas. I'll check it out a bit more, you go and look further down the waterfront. There could be something else at the other end," Kenny suggested, turning back to look at the boat. Nodding, Dallas turned and walked along the edge of the docks, noticing a telescope nearby that he could use. While he was walking towards the telescope, he glanced over at the road nearby, seeing something that made him stop in his tracks. He slowly moved towards what he was looking at, staring at a large wall of dead bodies, with a few walkers still moving around on spikes. Placed right in front of the wall, was a large 'Stay Out' sign, making Dallas think that it must be some kind of warning. But who was giving the warning? Who would be so fucked up, that they would make a pile of dead bodies into a wall. Deciding to leave the makeshift barricade alone, Dallas walked back over to the telescope, ready to scan the area. He put his eye up against the telescope, but all he could see was black, making him wonder why he couldn't see through. He looked on the side and found a coin slot, which meant it was time to go in search of a quarter. He moved back onto the street and scanned the area, spotting a newsstand with a cash register nearby. Making a beeline for the newsstand, he walked around the counter, pressing a few buttons until the tray popped open. He found no coins inside unfortunately, as he slammed it shut in annoyance. He moved out of the newsstand and looked around the street, moving along to find anything that could even have a chance of having some coins inside. As he walked, he saw a newspaper machine nearby, an idea forming in his head. Deciding to throw subtly to the wind, Dallas pulled his wrench from his belt, walking towards the newspaper machine. Without hesitation, he swung the wrench at the side of the machine, hitting it multiple times until a quarter fell out of the coin slot. Slipping his wrench back into his belt, picking the coin up, ready to go back to the telescope. He walked right back over to the telescope, ready to start looking at the other coastline.

"Mother fucker!" Kenny swore, catching Dallas' attention before he had a chance to slip the coin into the slot.

"What's up?" Dallas called, as Kenny started to walk towards him angrily.

"The stupid thing ain't gonna work. The hull's cracked to hell, and someone ripped out the battery," Kenny answered furiously.

"So you can't fix it then?" Kenny went to answer Dallas, but was stunned momentarily, looking up at the wall of walkers.

"What the hell is that thing?" Kenny asked, staring in shock at the wall.

"If you ask me, a fate worse than death," Dallas replied, turning to look at the wall as well. Leaving Kenny to stare, at the wall, Dallas moved back over to the telescope, slipping the coin into the slot. He put his eye up against the telescope and looked through, beginning the scan of the other coast. Everything seemed quite normal, all the buildings across the way seeming to be abandoned in one way or another. From what he could see, there were no other boats on the other side, which was definitely not a good thing. As he continued to scan the coastline, something caught his eye. Standing on top of a building was a distant figure, looking ready to scale down the wall. Dallas motioned to Kenny to get down, leading him down to the docks, ducking down below the low wall. They waited a minute or so before the figure showed up, casually walking down the street as if there wasn't a zombie apocalypse happening around them. They moved over to the newsstand and started to search, more than likely looking for surprise.

"Why the fuck are we hiding? We should be taking care of that son of a bitch," Kenny whispered angrily.

"Because we don't know who we are dealing with okay? We just need to lay low, and wait to see what happens for now," Dallas replied quietly, never taking his eyes off of his target.

"It could be our bell ringer though, I think we should at least go find out," Kenny suggested, moving over to kneel next to Dallas. He turned to look at Kenny, who nodded his head, pulling his gun out to signify that he was ready for whatever order was given.

"You're right, let's do it," Dallas agreed, pulling out his monkey wrench, ready to go.

"You go right down the middle, right up to the newsstand, and I'll go around the right side to cover you while you move over to him. We'll move up to him as quiet as possible, so we can take by surprise," Kenny said, grabbing the rails above him in preparation to start moving.

"We just want to talk to him okay? So don't even think about shooting that gun unless it's completely necessary. Got it?" Dallas asked, looking right at Kenny, knowing that Kenny can be quite violent when provoked.

"Oh don't you worry son, we're gonna talk," Kenny reassured him, jumping over the railing. He quickly made his way over to a nearby alley and crouched down low, motioning for Dallas to start moving over. Taking a deep breath, Dallas pulled himself over the railing and readied his wrench, so that it was running along his arm. He began to move slowly over to the newsstand, being careful not to make any noise as he approached. As he moved closer, the man crouched down below the counter, giving Dallas his opportunity. He quickly moved over to the other side of the counter and gripped the edge, readying himself to jump over. Unfortunately, when he jumped up, putting his wrench in the air, the man was gone, having vanished from the newsstand. He looked around frantically for the man, but couldn't see him, he had disappeared into thin air. The next thing he knew, someone started pulling at his wrench and it was ripped from his grip, forcing him to turn around to face his assailant. Before Dallas had a chance to react, the man flipped the weapon around in his hand, and gripped it tight, swinging it at Dallas' head. As If on instinct, he brought his arm up to block the man, grabbing his wrist in the process. He tried to wrestle the wrench out of the man's hand, and was soon able to do so, managing to knock it to the ground. Before the man could grab the wrench or their own weapon, Dallas threw the man to the ground and slide his hunting knife out of its sheath, sticking it up against the man's neck.

"No!" Dallas turned to look at the side, just as the man did as well, to find Clementine standing nearby, her hands over her mouth.

"Clem?" Dallas asked, surprised to see her out here, and not back at the house.

"Please, don't hurt him Dallas, don't become like those bandits," Clementine pleaded, pulling at his jacket sleeve. He turned back to look at the man and sighed, reluctantly pulling the knife away from the man, and standing up. He offered his hand to the man and pulled him up, helping the man to his feet. Next, he moved over to Clementine and placed his hands on her shoulders, making sure that she was alright.

"You're not from Crawford," the man sighed, with an oddly feminine voice. Turning around, he looked at the man strangely, watching as he removed his hood to reveal short cut blonde hair, with a green hair clip in it. To make things even weirder, the man pulled away his mask to reveal that he was actually a she.

"You're a girl?" Dallas asked, dumbfounded at the fact.

"Last time I checked, yeah," the woman replied, pulling her hoodie open a little to look down her top, before looking back up at Dallas, a sly grin on her face.

"Are you the one who's been following us?" Dallas questioned, looking the woman up and down.

"Why in the hell would I be following you?" the woman asked, crossing her arms. Before Dallas could answer, he noticed Kenny come out of the alley behind the woman, his gun raised, aiming at the back of her head. She must've noticed him, because she turned her head slightly and snarled, her hands clenching into a fist.

"Kenny, wait, she means no harm," Dallas exclaimed, rushing to stop Kenny, but the woman beat him to it. In one fluid motion, the woman crouched down and swung her leg behind her, knocking Kenny onto his side, accidentally firing his gun as he hit the street. The woman pulled out her weapon, something that looked like a pick-axe, and began to swing it against, Kenny's head, ready to make contact.

"Wait! He's with us!" Dallas shouted. The woman stopped her weapon just in time, the point of the pick almost touching Kenny's nose. She retracted her weapon and watched Kenny stand up, switching her gaze between him and Dallas, looking quite agitated. She then glanced over at Clementine, who was looking a bit afraid of the situation, looking between all the adults standing around her.

"Who the hell are you people?" the woman asked, addressing Dallas.

"Everyone just stay calm-" Dallas began to say, before being cut off by Kenny.

"I'll fucking calm down when this bitch tells me who she is," Kenny yelled, his nostrils flaring in fury.

"Back the fuck off, grampa. My name's Molly," she said, turning back to talk to Dallas.

"Name's Dallas. This is Kenny and Clementine. We don't want any trouble, we swear," he reassured her, choosing his words carefully.

"Hi," Clementine greeted happily, waving at Molly. Molly started looking between the three of them again, trying to figure out what she should say next.

"You guys really aren't from Crawford are you?" she asked again, looking to Dallas for confirmation.

"I don't even know what this Crawford place is," he told her, crossing his arms.

"It's everything beyond that barricade over there," Molly said, pointing her thumb back at the wall of walkers behind her.

"What happened here? What's going on?" Dallas questioned, staring at the walkers as they flailed about on their spikes, trying their hardest to reach out for their next meal.

"Are you sure you wanna know?" she asked.

"Yes," Dallas replied, readying himself for whatever she had to say.

"Well, when the world started to go to shit, a couple of people put their heads together and sealed off an entire neighbourhood. People who are willing to do anything to keep themselves alive, to stop the dead from getting at them. I try my best to avoid 'em," Moll began, looking up at the buildings around her.

"Why would you do that?" Kenny asked, crossing his arms.

"Let's just say they have no tolerance for anyone that refuse to help, or can't help, and live by their rules," Molly replied, turning her upper body to look at him.

"So how'd you figure we weren't with them?" Kenny asked, looking her in the eye. She looked down at the ground, and turned back around, looking right at Clementine.

"Because they don't have children in Crawford. Not any more at least," she said, making Clementine look a little scared.

"Who's been ringing those bells?" Dallas asked, hoping she had the answer, to put his mind at ease.

"That would be me," she replied, raising her hand playfully.

"I fucking knew it. Dallas, I just knew she had to be the one following us around, screwing with us," He growled, sticking an accusing finger in her face.

"Get your meaty finger out of my face grampa, before I take it out of my face and shove it up your ass," Molly threatened, making Kenny back away slowly. "I haven't following you people around, I don't even know who you guys are."

"Just calm down Kenny. It was a man that was on the other side of the radio, not a woman," Dallas pointed out, trying to calm him down.

"Whatever. Whoever you may be, by ringing those bells things morning, you nearly got us killed, you raised the dead around us," Kenny snapped, turning back to Molly.

"That's the point brainiac. That's how I move around this city, I ring a bell over in one neighbourhood to attract the local geeks over there, while I go and scavenge wherever they cleared out of," Molly explained, looking between the two.

"Geeks?" Dallas asked, confused by her statement.

"Yeah, those things roaming around. You know, like at the carnival, those guys that can't help but eat everything in sight, alive or dead," she joked, laughing a little at her own joke.

"That is actually a really smart idea, using the bells to your advantage," Dallas said, commending her for her idea.

"I try my best," Molly smirked, turning to face Dallas once more. "You and I both know it doesn't really take that much to outsmart the dead, they're just a bunch of dumbasses. All you have to do is move fast, get in and get out before they make their way back again."

"Show off," Kenny said under his breath, getting an annoyed look from Molly.

"So, why wouldn't they have children in there?" Dallas asked, glancing over at the wall again.

"They don't have children, they don't have elderly, they don't have anyone with an advanced medical condition. So to summarise, they don't have anyone that could be a burden on their community. Crawford, they're all about 'survival of the fittest. That's how they have survived for so long, while everywhere else in the world went to shit all around them," Molly explained, walking over to the wall, the others following closely behind her.

"Jesus Christ," Kenny breathed, looking up at the walkers on the spikes.

"Well, it's just the opposite, if you think about it," Molly scoffed, looking back at Kenny.

"So what happened to all the people that were burdening them? Where are they now?" Dallas asked, afraid of what the answer may be.

"Well, if you look straight ahead, you'll see them," Molly said, gesturing to the wall of walkers.

"Fuck me," Kenny swore, getting an annoyed look from Clementine.

"Swear," she said, telling him off.

"Yeah, anyone in there that got sick, when anyone got to old, any person they believed to not be strong enough to survive. In their eyes, those kinds of people were just extra mouths to feed, a detriment to their resources," Molly explained, turning around to face the group.

"How is it you know all this?" Dallas questioned, wondering how she could know all this, without having been there.

"Everyone in the city knew. What was happening inside of Crawford, it got passed around like something out of a ghost story. The only difference being, that this story is real," she explained, walking back over to the newsstand. Dallas looked down at Clementine, checking to make sure she was handling things okay, only to find a worried look on her face.

"You doing okay?" he asked, feeling a little worried about her.

"I'm fine. Crawford just sounds like a scary place," she replied, taking a hold of Dallas' hand for comfort.

"Now, I'm going to ask once more. You guys say you're not from Crawford, so who the hell are you? What the hell are you doing here?" Molly questioned, holding Dallas' gaze.

"We came down here looking for a boat. We want to get our group out of here and get them to someplace safe," he answered, meeting her gaze.

"Yeah, you have fun with that one. Anyone that had a boat in this city took it straight out of here the minute people started eating each other's faces. If there were any boats leftover, Crawford came along and stripped 'em for parts. They stripped cars too," Molly told them, turning around to look at a defeated Kenny.

"There has to be something," Kenny said, still not ready to give up.

"If there was anything left, do you seriously think I would still be stuck in this place? I have looked over every square inch of this city, this whole place has been picked clean," she told him. An angry face came onto Kenny's face, as he walked away from the group.

"Mother fucking fuck," he cursed, looking out onto the water.

"Hey, idiot, keep your voice down," Molly warned, moving to follow him, being stopped by Dallas grabbing her arm.

"Fuck," Kenny said, looking down at the ground.

"Now, since you guys aren't getting on any boat, I would suggest you guys go back to wherever it is you came from, before-" Molly began to say, stopping mid-sentence. Suddenly, loud groaning filled the air, making Dallas and Clementine turn around to find walkers emerging from the street they had used to get to the river.

"Fuck," Dallas said, staring in shock at the invading walkers.

"Just fucking great," Molly groaned behind him.

"That's the way we came, what the fuck are we gonna do?" Kenny asked, frantically looking around for a means of escape.

"Your bloody gun going off must've attracted them," Dallas said, looking at Kenny angrily.

"Don't go and lay the blame on me son," Kenny snapped, turning to Dallas angrily.

"Isn't there some other way we can go to get back to the house?" Clementine asked, watching the walkers fearfully.

"I don't know. Molly, do you know if there-" Dallas began to ask turning around to talk to Molly, only to find her gone, watching her dash around a nearby corner into an alley. They quickly rushed after her and turned the corner, watching as she skilfully used some parkour skills to get herself up onto the fire escape.

"Wait!" Kenny shouted, running alongside Dallas and Clementine to catch her.

"You can't just leave us here!" Dallas yelled, standing underneath the fire escape now.

"Don't really care right now," Molly shouted back, making to leave without them.

"So what the fuck are we supposed to do?" Kenny questioned heatedly.

"If you would please refer to my previous answer," Molly replied, staring down at them.

"But you have to help us, please don't leave us behind," Clementine begged, latching onto Dallas, looking up at Molly. Molly looked back down and met Clementine's scared gaze, looking conflicted about what to do. Finally relenting, she knelt down, reaching her arm down to them.

"Hurry up, we haven't got all day," she told them, as Dallas started lifting Clementine off of the ground. He hefted her upwards, right into Molly's arm, allowing her to pull Clementine up onto the ledge. The walkers began to turn the corner, slowly making their way over to Kenny and Dallas.

"You next Kenny, come on," Dallas said, kneeling down and putting his hands on his knee. Kenny placed a foot on his hands and Dallas pushed him up, letting Molly grab him by the arm, pulling him up to safety.

"You next son," Kenny said, reaching his arm down to Dallas.

"Come on Dallas," Clementine exclaimed, staring down at him with scared eyes. Taking one big, deep breath, Dallas jumped as hard as he could, taking a hold of Kenny's arm, gripping it as tightly as he could. Unfortunately, Kenny lost his grip on him, dropping Dallas back to the ground.

"Fuck," Dallas cursed, standing back up to his feet, as the walkers moved closer.

"No, Dallas!" Clementine screamed, moving to jump off the ledge, but was restrained by Molly. Dallas started to shuffled backwards, trying to get away from the walkers closing in on him. Soon, he ran out of room, as he bumped into a dumpster, turning around to push it out of his way.

"Hurry up son, get moving!" Kenny shouted, watching Dallas move the dumpster out of the way,, fearing for his life. Dallas started to continue down the alley, but was blocked off as more walkers came down his path.

"Hurry Dallas, get out of there!" Clementine shouted, trying to pull away from Molly's grip. Dallas looked around frantically, trying to find something that could save him, his eyes landing on the ground. He was standing right on top of a manhole, his only means of escape. He knelt down and pulled his knife out, trying to pry the lid off of it. He pushed as hard as he could but had no luck, managing to break his knife in the process.

"Mother fucker," Dallas swore, throwing the handle of the knife at one of the nearby walkers.

"Here, hold her," Molly said, giving Clementine over to Kenny, while she pulled her pick-axe out, throwing it down to Dallas. "Use that to pry it open."

"Thanks!" Dallas shouted, picking up her pick-axe. He stuck it into the side of the manhole and pulled, managing to get the lid off easily. Glancing up at Clementine once last time, Dallas jumped down the manhole, disappearing from view.

"Dallas!" Clementine screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks as her guardian disappeared from sight.

* * *

**Oh no, Dallas! D:**

**Don't worry, I'm sure you all know he's fine :P**

**Or is he... O_o**

**Aaaaaaaaaanyway, hope you are all enjoying this, my stores of chapters are slowly running out, I haven't had much time to write much in the past week, I've been soooooooooo busy :(**

**I have one more day of school and then I will be on holidays, so I should be uploading a whole lot more soon :D**

**I can't wait to begin on season 2, its gonna be good if I can pull off what I want to do, it will be hard, I think...**

**Anyway, farewell my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	41. Chapter 41 - Sewer Rat

Dallas landed hard on the ground as he hit the floor, groaning in pain at the shock to his spinal cord. Getting to his feet, he looked up at the walkers above, a couple of them leaning into the hole, reaching down to him. One of them moved to close to the edge and fell down, managing to smash its head after making contact with the sewer floor.

"Hey guys, can you hear me up there?" Dallas shouted up the manhole. After there was no reply, he decided to keep talking anyway. "If you guys can hear me, just head back over to the house, I'll see you there."

Dallas turned away from the ladder leading back up to the alley and looked out at the sewers, knowing he was going to need a shower after this. Where was a good water system when you needed it? He moved over to a nearby set of stairs and started making his way down, shifting his gaze from left to right as he went along. When he reached the bottom he scanned the area, deciding that going left would be the best course of action for now. As he walked he looked into all the grates he passed, knowing that he probably wouldn't be able to pry any of them open. He soon came to a small opening, which lead down into a lower level of the sewer, a steep decline being his only path. Being very careful not to slip, Dallas held the wall as he slowly walked down, stepping down carefully. Upon reaching the end, he jumped down the slight ledge, landing in something that made a large squelching sound as he landed in it. Looking down, he found a couple of dead rats lying around his feet, kicking one of them for good measure. Moving around the diseased animals, he continued into the sewer, finding a more lit up area. Scanning what was in front of him, he slowly walked forward, thinking he could hear noises around the corner. Sure enough, halfway down the passageway, was a large group of walkers, devouring some pour soul. Knowing that he couldn't take all those things down by himself with only his crossbow and whatever he had left in his rifle, he looked at a small opening nearby, crouching to go inside. He began to walk towards the end quickly, hoping to find something that could help him out of this predicament. Once he reached the end, he found a small wheel, which was connected to a large pipe. Curious as to what would happen if he turned it, he placed his hands on the wheel and began to turn it. On the other side of the grate nearby, water started to pour out of a pipe, the noise being quite loud. Almost instantly, a walker appeared out of nowhere and stumbled towards the water, looking like it was trying to drink it.

"Thank god I'm not out there," Dallas whispered to himself, turning back to the wheel. He noticed that it was a little loose, placing his hands back on the sides to pull it off. Right as he managed to pull it off, he heard groaning nearby, and turned to find that a walker was blocking his path. Quietly cursing to himself, Dallas turned around and went down the other way, seeing a grate nearby that he could escape through. He pulled Molly's pick-axe out and hooked it into the latch, pulling with all his might until it was pulled away. Storing the pick-axe, Dallas pushed the grate open and stepped out, looking around for another pipe he could turn on. Noticing one on the path he followed before, he walked over to it, pulling the wheel out ready to place on it. When he reached the pipe, he fitted the wheel onto the pipe and readied himself, turning the wheel to the right. As soon as he did, water started pouring out of the grate nearby, spilling out onto a grate by his feet. Nearby, the walkers heard the water flowing out of the piping and started moving away from the dead body, making their way over to the water. Moving quickly, he ran back over to the grate he had just come out of, crouching down low to move inside. When he made it to the end, he looked down the other path, watching the feet of the walkers move past him. He waited for the last one to disappear from his view before he started to move down the path, standing up slowly to make his way down the passageway. On his way past, he looked down at the dead body of a young girl, a small handgun lying next to her hand. She must've shot herself before she could be bitten and turned, the poor girl. He picked up the gun and checked for bullets and, when he found none, he stored it in his back pocket, standing back up to face the passageway in front of him. He saw a lone walker waiting at the end of the passageway, its back turned from him, oblivious to the world. He started moving towards the walker, hoping to take it by surprise, as he took each of his steps with extra care. Just as he was about to reach the walker, he walker over a large grate and his leg was grabbed, a walker beneath him having noticed him walking by. Having heard the noise behind it, the walker stood up and turned to Dallas and started stumbling towards him, a deep blood lust in its eye. Thinking fast, he pulled Molly's pick-axe from his belt and stuck it into the hands of the walker that had his leg, easily prying it off of his ankle. Without hesitation, he stood back up and swung the pick-axe into the head of the walker, sending it down to the ground dead. He turned around to check that other walkers hadn't been attracted by the noise he made and was relieved when he found they were still busy with the water. Deciding that he had better not stray for too long in this place, he continued to walk forward, going up some stairs to reach the next level. He looked up at another manhole nearby, it's ladder having broken off, much to his dismay. He gripped the pick-axe tightly and ran at the wall, jumping as high as he could to hook the pick on the bottom rung. Instead, he rammed into the metal plate and fell to the ground, knocking the metal plate off of one of its screws. Dallas noticed that there was some space right behind the metal plate and stood up to examine it. He pulled it off of the wall, and found a small hole, big enough for him to get into. Climbing inside, he came into a small room, full of different supplies, looking like there was enough for a small group to last at least a couple of months. Looking around he saw a door nearby and moved towards it, cautiously opening the door to move into the next room. Upon entering he was greeted by a small group of people, who looked just as shocked to see him as they were to see him. Hearing a click nearby, Dallas turned to find an older man standing close by, aiming a gun at his head.

"Who are you?" he questioned, the gun shaking in his hands, the man himself looking terrified

"I don't want any trouble," Dallas replied, putting his hands up in surrender.

"We don't either son. Which is why you should turn back around and leave, right now,' the man stuttered, obviously too afraid to do anything.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you guys. I'll just be leaving now, okay?" Dallas said, making to turn around.

"You can't just him leave. He could be from Crawford! If he goes back to them and he tells them we're hiding down…" one of the woman trailed off.

"Are you from Crawford. Please, just tell the truth, I'll be able to tell if you don't," the man warned, his gun still shaking in his hands.

"I'm not from Crawford, I promise. I was just passing through, trying to find a way back onto the street," Dallas explained, taking a few small steps towards the man.

"Don't move, I don't want to have to shoot you!" the man advised, trying his best to hold his gun steady.

"Just put down the gun down, nobody needs to get hurt," Dallas said, moving slowly towards the man.

"Don't trust this boy Vernon. You know you can't let him leave," the woman insisted, annoying Dallas a little.

"You don't even know me," Dallas argued, glaring at the woman.

"You're either sick and out on the streets or you're old enough and strong, and you're with Crawford. It's easy to see which one you are," she snapped, returning his glare evenly.

"What do you want me to do Brie? Shoot this poor boy in the head?" Vernon asked, turning to look at her angrily.

"Why shouldn't you? Be more mercy then we were ever shown by those bastards. Use your head Vernon! If they find out we are hiding down here, what do you think they will do?" Brie questioned, turning on him.

"Dammit, you're right. I'm sorry son, I have no choice," Vernon said, turning back to face Dallas, placing his finger on the trigger.

Please, you have to believe me. I'm not one of them; I'm not one of those sickos. I saw what they did; I saw what they did to those people. It is wrong. I could never be like them, I just want to get back to my group," Dallas pleaded, trying to convince both Vernon and Brie.

"Your group?" Vernon questioned, lowering his gun a little.

"Yes my group. We aren't like those people in Crawford, none of us are. I don't think you are either Vernon. I seem to be a good man, with a good heart," Dallas told him, putting his hands down as he stepped towards Vernon.

"Please son, keep away, or I'll have no choice but to shoot you," Vernon warned, raising the gun up shakily again. Dallas stood right in front of Vernon and waited a few seconds, before reaching forward to take the gun out of his hands, breathing a sigh of relief.

"It's all good, it's okay," Dallas soothed, bringing the gun down to his side. He noticed Brie standing nearby, a shocked look on her face after what just happened.

"Vernon, what in the hell do you think you're doing?" she exclaimed, backing away from Dallas slowly. She moved in front of the other people in the room defensively, putting her arms up to shield them.

"Relax guys it's okay, I'm not here to hurt anyone, I promise," Dallas said, placing the gun on the ground. This seemed to settle everyone in the room down as they all went back to what they were previously doing, leaving Vernon and Brie to focus on the newcomer.

"You're really not from Crawford?" Vernon asked, still sounding sceptical.

"Really really," Dallas replied, laughing at his little movie quote.

"Well. We are, this group here. Well, we used to be at least. As soon as they started sealing that place up, when they started weeding out the weak, the old, the sick and the young, we got out of there as quickly as we could. They didn't want their, 'survivor society' to be threatened by the weak. There was no room for weakness, no room for vulnerability, in their perfect little world," Vernon explained, moving over to lean against a bench as he addressed Dallas.

"But, you don't look all that old…Are you sick?" Dallas asked, glancing around the room at the other survivors.

"All of us are actually. All of us here are members of a cancer survivors group that used to meet up in this hospital. We're in remission at present time. But, Crawford didn't find that good enough apparently. He started to round us up, managing to get five of us right off the bat, before the rest of us here managed to escape. We've been holed here since then, hiding in this old basement. This place has been abandoned for years," Vernon continued, shaking his head at the memories.

"Is this place a morgue or something? Feels a little, sombre," Dallas commented, looking around the room.

"Yeah, it is actually. Whenever I look to survive, irony is always at the top of my list," Vernon said with a chuckle, standing up from the bench.

"Definitely the most ironic place you could be," Dallas agreed, moving over to the cremation trays.

"So, how did you end up finding your way down here anyway son? It's not every day with have people find this place so easily," Vernon asked, moving over to stand beside Dallas.

"I was up on the street with some of my people, we were looking for a boat, so we could get out of here. After we didn't find one, we ended up getting overrun and boxed in by a large group of walkers. Next thing I know, I'm down in the sewers, wondering around aimlessly. Now all I want to do is get back up onto the street, so that I can get home to my own people," Dallas replied, staring down at the ground.

"Well, that sewer system you came through to get here runs throughout the city. It'll take you wherever you want to go," Vernon told him, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Listen, I know it is something big that I am about to ask, but those sewers are like a giant maze. Would it be possible for you to help me find my way out onto the street?" Dallas asked, turning to face Vernon.

"I'd be happy to son. Except, well me and my group have our own problems. Two of our own are sick, and need my constant attention. I'm the only doctor here, so I can't just leave," Vernon told him, his face full of regret.

"Besides, why would we want to help you?" Brie asked, from nearby, her voice full of venom.

"Look, I know I scared you a bit when I came down here, and I apologise for that. All I want is to get back to my people, to get back to Clementine," Dallas pleaded, the last part being barely above a whisper.

"She your sister?" Vernon asked, receiving a head shake in return.

"No, but she is close enough," Dallas answered, turning to look at Vernon once more.

"Well, we can't keep you away from that girl then," Vernon said. Brie looked on in shock, walking over to stand between the two, a look of annoyance on her face.

'What in the hell do you think you're dong Vern?" she questioned, looking Dallas up and down.

"It's all right Brie," Vernon said, laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder, while he continued to talk to Dallas. "I had a daughter before this all started. I lost her in the first couple of days. I'll be damned if I let another little girl get hurt in this horrible world."

"But we need you here Vernon," one of the men said, grabbing Vernon's attention.

"Don't you guys worry, I'll be gone and back before you know it. Now, let's go see about getting you back to that little girl," Vernon said. Dallas walked over to wait by the door, while Vernon hugged Brie, smiling at her reassuringly. He looked around at the rest of his group, nodding his head to the man who spoke up before. He moved over to a sick woman and the man sitting beside her, checking to make sure she was alright. Finally having done his check overs and goodbyes, Vernon walked over to Dallas and opened the door. "Let's get moving."

* * *

**That was my last stored chapter everyone D:**

**But luckily I am officially on holidays, so I will have heaps of time to start writing heaps for you guys :D Hopefully...**

**So yeah, I am currently planning out what will be happening in season two, since this story is sort of a basis for that, because it is what I have been looking to write for. This has been setting you guys up for an awesome story (hopefully) :)**

**Anywho, farewell my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**

**P.S. (keep up those reviews peeps, its always nice to hear your thoughts)**


	42. Chapter 42 - Where is She?

It didn't take long before Vernon led Dallas back out onto the street, the pair of them heading back to the house to make sure Dallas' group was okay. Soon, they were in the backyard of the house and were opening the door, Dallas looking around the kitchen to see who was there.

"Clementine?" he called, just as a cupboard door was slammed shut nearby. He turned to look into the kitchen and found Molly, who was currently rummaging through the cabinets, looking for any supplies she could steal more than likely. When she heard his voice, Molly turned around and smiled, happy to see that the teen had made it.

"Oh hey there, you made it back in one piece," she greeted, still smiling at him.

"Who's this?" Vernon asked, examining Molly suspiciously.

"He didn't mention me then? That's surprising to say the least. I would've thought he would want to brag about beating up on a girl when I tried to jump him," she joked, smirking at Dallas as she turned to look at Vernon. "Who's the fossil?"

"This is Vernon, he's a doctor. He helped me escape from the sewers after we got separated," Dallas explained, looking around to see if he could see Clementine. Nodding her head, she stepped forward and looked straight at Dallas, her eyes unblinking.

"I think you have something that belongs to me," she said, sticking her hand out to him. Sighing, he pulled the ice tool off of his belt and handed it over to her, a look of thanks on her face. With that she walked away, moving off to go and search the rest of the house. As he watched her walk off he heard footsteps coming down the stairs and he ran out into the hall, hoping it was Clementine. He was only slightly disappointed when he saw that it was only Lee, a worried look on his face.

"Thank god you're back," Lee exclaimed, running over to give him a fatherly hug.

"I'm surprised I made it at all. How's Carley?" he asked, pulling away to look at Lee.

"She's getting worse, a whole lot worse," Lee replied, his worried look becoming fearful.

"One of our own are wounded, just in case you were wondering," Dallas told Vernon, as Lee looked at him strangely.

"Who's this guy?" Lee questioned, watching the man closely.

"This is Vernon, he's a doctor," Dallas answered, glancing into the living room to try and catch a glimpse of Clementine, only to see Kenny sitting on the couch with Ben and Chuck.

"Thank god. You have to help her, please," Lee begged, grabbing Vernon by the arm, who was looking over to Dallas for confirmation.

"Could you have a look?" Dallas asked hopefully.

"I'll see how much I can do. Take me to her," Vernon said, following Lee up the stairs to look at Carley. Dallas quickly followed behind them, following the pair into a room on the far side of the second floor. Lee opened the door slowly, not wanting to make too much noise as he entered the room. When Dallas entered the room, he looked at Carley lying on the bed in shock, her leg looking worse than before, her face having lost its usual colour. Lee moved over instantly to kneel beside her, taking her hand in both of his.

"Carley, babe. You're going to be all right now. Dallas brought you a doctor, you're going to be fine," Lee whispered, looking down at Carley's unconscious form. Vernon moved over and kneeled down on Carley's other side, ready to examine her leg.

"Alrighty then, let's take a look," Vernon said, his fingers lightly moving over Carley's open wound on her leg. "Would you mind leaving, I work better when there isn't anyone else here. Go find your little girl, I've got this."

"Of course, thank you for this," Dallas said, moving over to the door. Nodding at Lee as he exited, he closed the door behind him, looking around to see where he should start searching for Clementine. First of all, he moved over to the nearby study, throwing open the double doors to look around for her. He moved over to the nearby desk and looked at the space underneath it, not finding her inside. He looked out the window and saw the shed, wondering if she might be outside. Deciding that would be his last resort, he walked back out of the study and looked around for other places to look, choosing to go to the other bedroom on this floor. As he walked in her heard someone grunt in pain, making him look around for the source of the noise. Moving around to the other side of the bed, he sawed Molly come out from under the bed, rubbing the top of her head.

"Can you please not do that," she snapped, standing up to face him.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," Dallas said, putting has hands up apologetically.

"It's fine, don't worry," Molly said shaking her head.

"So, what exactly are you doing in here?" Dallas asked, looking underneath the bed she came out of.

"Just poking around, seeing what there is to see," Molly replied, opening a nearby drawer.

"You're not going to find anything. We searched this place top to bottom when we arrived," Dallas told her, crossing his arms.

"Believe me, you'd be surprised how much people can miss. Trust me, I've been at it for a while now," Molly told him, opening the next drawer.

"Have you seen Clementine?" Dallas asked, ignoring Molly's comments.

"Aren't you supposed to be her keeper? Shouldn't you know?" Molly retorted, turning around to face him.

"I'm not in the mood for games right now, okay? Can you just tell me if you saw her," Dallas replied, rubbing his temples in exasperation.

"Last time I saw her, she was with redneck grampa, his other old friend and that dumb looking college kid. Why don't you go and bother them instead," Molly said, moving back to examine the drawers.

"Thanks," Dallas grumbled, moving back over to the door to exit the room. Grunting in reply, Molly continued to search the room, while Dallas stepped out, closing the door behind him. He quickly moved over to the stairs and went down, taking each step two at a time as he went. Once he reached the first floor landing, he made a beeline for the living room, finding Ben, Chuck and Kenny still sitting around. Now that he had a chance to have a closer look at them, Dallas realised that Kenny currently had the bottle of alcohol from the dining room in his hand, taking a long gulp as Dallas stepped into the room. Chuck was sitting nearby, his arms crossed as he stared at Kenny, looking at the bottle in his hand longingly.

"Oh, hey their son. You made it back in one piece. Good job. Good job," Kenny slurred, putting the bottle down at his side.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?" Dallas snapped, glaring at Kenny's drunken form.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Kenny laughed, taking another draught out of his drink.

"Where'd you find the bottle?" Dallas asked, glancing over to the empty dining table, his suspicions turning out to be true.

"I found it. The first good thing to happen since…" Kenny began to say, before Dallas turned away to talk to Ben.

"What the fuck Ben? What were you thinking, letting him get like this?" Dallas questioned, looking at Ben with a hard look.

"I tried my best okay. But as soon as he gave me a look like he was going to rip my face off, I backed away slowly. I mean, come on, if he won't listen to you, he sure as hell wasn't going to listen to me," Ben replied, trying to give his bravest face but failing.

"This guy is as stubborn as a mule. Hasn't even offered me a sip," Chuck stated, crossing his arms over his chest, staring at the exchange. Shaking his head, Dallas turned around to reach for the bottle but Kenny snatched it away, standing up to face him.

"To hell with you!" Kenny shouted, stumbling back a little from standing up too fast.

"You getting wasted is not going to help any of us," Dallas snapped, getting up close to Kenny, making him step back a little.

"Well what the fuck is going to help? If you haven't noticed, we are fucked!" Kenny sat back down on the couch and continued to drink, staring up at Dallas.

"You don't know that," Dallas said, finally understanding what was going on.

"Molly said it, you heard her. There is not a single boat left in this whole fucked up town. No way out what so ever. There are walkers swarming all around us, we have that crazy fuck on the other side of the radio taunting us. If now isn't the time for a god damn drink…" Kenny trailed off, taking another sip. Turning to look at Ben, he leant over to offer him a drink. As Ben reached out to accept, Dallas glared at him, daring him to take the bottle out from Kenny. Sighing, Ben shook his head no, allowing Kenny to take the bottle back for another long drink.

"Have any of you seen Clementine?" Dallas asked, having had enough of Kenny's bullshit for one day.

"Damned if I know. Probably around here. Somewhere," Kenny replied, offering the bottle to Chuck, who gladly accepted.

"Ben. I gave you one job. One job, that's it. To take care of Clementine. Next thing I know, she shows up on River Street looking for me. What the hell happened?" Dallas questioned, hearing the back door open.

"Hey, don't lay all the blame on me. When Carley started getting worse, Lee asked me to help get her upstairs. She must've slipped out when I wasn't looking. I'm sorry, but I'm trying to do my best here. I mean, Lee was getting frantic, so I had to go and help him. I told Clementine to stay in the living room while I went to help, what more could I have done?" Ben asked, looking up at Dallas.

"It's fine Ben, its fine. Can you just tell me where she is now?" Dallas asked, deciding to take the high road.

"I think she went outside, to play in the backyard," Ben replied, gesturing to the back door, just as Christa and Omid entered, each of them holding their own plastic bags.

"On her own? With no one to watch her?" Dallas questioned, staring right at him.

"Found some food, if anyone is interested," Omid announced, trying to break the tension.

"Get off my back Dallas, I'm sure she's fine out there," Ben replied, turning to look at Omid and Christa. Omid spilled the contents of the bag onto the table for all to see, staring down at all the food greedily. Noticing some Twinkies lying amongst the food, Dallas instantly grabbed them and walked away, eating one of them as he went.

"How could you do that?" Omid complained, falling to his knees dramatically.

"Get over yourself," Christa laughed, kneeling down to empty the contents of her own bag, while Dallas went outside, finishing off the first Twinkie. He put the other one in his pocket, deciding to give it to Clementine once he found her.

"Clem? You out here?" Dallas called, looking around the yard for the missing girl. He noticed that she was nowhere to be seen, the yard being completely empty of life. Wondering where she could've gone off to, he moved around the yard, looking around everywhere for places she could be hiding. He looked past the gate that lead out into the street, he looked through the nearby fence. Everywhere he looked, he came up empty, never being able to find a thing, evening searching inside the doghouse, just in case. When he was just about to do a second look around, he suddenly heard a banging sound nearby, coming from the shed. Walking over carefully he walked over and picked up the shovel, stepping to the doors. Taking a deep breath, he took a hold of the doors and pulled as hard as he could, throwing the double doors open. As he did however, something came pushing out, knocking him to the ground.

"Dallas?" Before Dallas knew what was going on, small arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"Clementine?" Dallas pulled away to find that it was indeed Clementine, a big smile appearing on her face.

"I'm so glad you're okay, I thought I lost you," Clementine said, a few tears falling from her eyes as she went back to hugging him.

"It's okay, I'm fine. Shush now," he crooned, running his fingers through what little hair she had exposed. Pulling away she wiped her eyes clean, smiling warmly at him.

"You have to see what I found, look," she said, turning around to point into the shed. Dallas stood back up and moved over to the shed, opening the two doors all the way, his eyes widening in surprise. Sitting right in front of him, perfectly nestled in the shed, was a boat.

"Holy shit," Dallas breathed, staring in amazement at the boat.

"Swear," Clementine said happily, taking Dallas hand in hers excitedly.

"Fuck." Turning around, Dallas found Kenny standing nearby, staring at the boat as well. After a few seconds passed, realisation dawned on him, making him drop his bottle of wine, as hope came back into his eyes.

* * *

**Looks like I'm back on track, making good progress through my chapters ^_^**

**I also pulled down my other story, because I didn't feel all that motivated to write it, I just wanted to worry about getting this story done, so then I could move on to the Season 2 stuff, so I hope you guys aren't too disappointed :/**

**So yeah, here's your chapter, hope you enjoyed it ^_^**

**Farewell for now my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	43. Chapter 43 - Here's the Plan

Right after they found the boat, Kenny said that he would examine it, while Dallas and Clementine went back inside to eat. Now, Dallas was sitting on the floor with Clementine, watching her as she happily stuffed her face with the Twinkie he saved for her, as Omid looked on, a forlorn look on his face. Lee was pacing around, being quite worried about whether Carley was going to be alright or not, since Vernon was still in her room. Christa was sitting next to Omid, her elbows on her knees as she stared out the window, waiting for someone to say something. Molly was doing about the same thing, expect she was sitting by the window, playing around with her ice pick. Finally, Ben and Chuck were standing up nearby, both of them leaning against a different part of the wall, waiting for Kenny and Vernon to be done with their respective examination. Upon hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, everyone perked up, looking over to see Vernon descending, reaching the ground before long. He moved over to the group and looked at each of them sadly, looking unsure how to put what he had to say.

"Is she doing okay?" Dallas asked, when it looked like Lee's words had caught in his throat, as he continued pacing.

"As well as she can be doing, under the circumstances. I did as much as I could for her, cleaned up that wound as much as I could. But she's got a real strong infection, which is what is causing her fever. If you don't get her antibiotics…" Vernon trailed off, letting the end of the sentence hang in the air.

"Quit pacing would ya? You're making these folks nervous,' Molly said, walking over to lay a hand on Lee's arm, making him stop in his tracks.

"Is there even a reason you're still here?" Christa questioned, staring threateningly at Molly.

"If your friend out there is able to get that tin can working, then you guys are taking me out of here, as payment for saving your friend's ass. I think that's a fair deal, don't you?" Molly responded, glaring back at her. Just as she finished speaking, the back door opened and Kenny walked in, his face neutral.

"You want the good news or do you want the bad news?" he asked, looking around the room for an answer.

"Might as well get the bad news out of the way," Dallas replied, standing up to face Kenny.

"The bad news is, the shape she's in now, she won't be taking anybody anywhere, anytime soon. The gas tank is empty and battery's dead," Kenny told the group, shaking his head.

"How can there be good news, if that's the bad news?" Christa asked, turning around to look at Kenny.

"That's it, that's all she really needs. Some gas, and a new battery. Other than those two things, she's ready to go," Kenny replied, looking down at her.

'And how are we supposed to get that stuff?" Chuck asked, adding his own word into the conversation. Everyone looked around the room quietly, trying to figure out a solution to their current problem. Looking around, Dallas tried to mee everyone's eyes, but they avoided him, all of them knowing the only choice they could choose.

"What about Crawford? As dangerous as the place is, it sounds like it could have everything that we need," Dallas suggested, getting everyone's attention.

"Now hold on one minute," Vernon said, turning to look at Dallas angrily.

"I agree with Dallas. We have to at least try. If those people are the only ones left in the city are alive, and who have supplies we can use, what harm can it do to ask?" Christa asked, standing up to address the group.

"Trust me on this, you don't know these people like I do. You show up on their doorstep with a wounded woman? Asking for help with a boat? You might as well hang a noose around your neck right now. They don't exactly welcome children with open arms either," Vernon said, looking down at Clementine, who had stopped eating to listen to the conversation.

"What kind of a place are we talking about here?" Omid asked, standing up to be beside his wife.

"The worst kind, if we're being perfectly honest. But we don't have any other choice," Molly piped in, stepping amongst the group.

"And do you lot propose we pull this off?" Kenny questioned, looking around the group.

"As much as I hate to admit it, we have to sneak in. It's the only way we'll be able to get in," Dallas said, receiving nods of agreement from some of the group.

"If you're all dead set on doing this, I might be able to help with that. I know the sewer system that runs underneath Crawford like it were the back of my hand. Do you have a map on hand?" Vernon asked, looking around the group himself.

"I do," Dallas replied, pulling out the map he found on the train and handing it to Vernon, who spread it out on the table.

"I think I should be able to lead us all through so that we could pass right under their perimeter, right into the center, where they keep all of their supplies. All we have to do is come up from beneath them, take them by surprise, find what we need, and get out of there before anyone even knows we were there," Vernon said, more nods of agreement.

"Sounds like a good plan," Molly commented, looking down at the map.

"I've thought about doing this before, but I've never really had the people to do it. But now, with all of you here, I think that if we work together, we could definitely pull it off," Vernon said, smiling at the group around him.

"And what will you be asking for in return for this help?" Kenny questioned, watching Vernon suspiciously.

"Crawford doesn't just have the parts you need for your boat. They also have a whole lot of medical supplies I could use. Medicine that my group could use, just like you people could," Vernon replied, choosing not to look at Kenny.

"We can do this. We have to. For Carley's sake," Lee said, looking around the room for confirmation from the group.

"What is everyone's thoughts on this plan? If we're going to try and pull this off, everyone needs to be on board," Dallas said, standing next to Lee to address the group.

"I honestly don't know about this," Ben admitted, scratching the back of his head.

"I don't know about you son, but I am definitely in. Take the chance son, do something. Don't just sit around letting life pass you by, jump in and help out, earn your keep," Chuck said, standing up to stand with Dallas and Lee.

"Agreed. That boat out there is an answered prayer for us, we have to push just a little more, and we will be set. Are you going or staying?" Kenny asked Ben, giving a firm look.

"I'm in," Ben said, nodding his head towards Kenny.

"We'll go to, you'll need as much help as you can if you want to get as much as possible," Christa said, standing alongside Dallas and Chuck, ready to go, as Omid did the same.

"We should move out to night, with darkness as our aid. I'm going to go and let my people know, it'll give you guys a chance to prepare. I should be back before midnight," Vernon said, heading for the back door.

"Be careful out there," Dallas warned, not wanting to see the older man get hurt.

"Why do you think I'm still alive?" With that, Vernon continued to walk towards the back door, opening and closing it behind him as he left.

"I'm going to stay here and watch out for Carley, I don't want to leave her alone in the house, just in case," Lee said, nodding a goodbye to the group before heading up the stairs. Everyone moved off to collect their weapons, so that they would be ready for when night fall finally came around. Dallas slung his rifle, crossbow and arrows back onto his back, hoping that he wouldn't have to use them while he was in there.

"Dallas?" He turned to find Clementine standing behind him, looking up at him with those big brown eyes once more.

"What's up?" he asked, kneeling down so that he was eye level with her.

"Is it going to be dangerous, Crawford I mean?" Clementine asked, rocking back and forth on her feet.

"I won't lie to you, it is going to be very dangerous. But I'm sure we'll be fine, we have good people and a good plan, so there's nothing to worry about," Dallas reassured her with a smile.

"Okay, well, I guess I better go and get myself ready as well," she said, starting to walk off before Dallas grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back to face him.

"Since when did you get permission to come with us?" Dallas inquired, not planning on letting her go anytime soon.

"You said you need to have everyone on board, need to have everyone help. Besides, you said I'm a big help, that we are a team, remember?" Clementine asked, giving him the most serious look she had ever given him.

"Yes I know but-" Dallas began to say before she cut him off by shaking her head.

"Molly said that Crawford is the only place in this city that has people. If that's true, then my parents, my mum and dad, they might be there," Clementine argued, crossing her arms.

"It's far too dangerous for children there, you know that," Dallas argued back, dead set on not letting her go.

"You told me that I always had to stay close to you. You left me at home before, you didn't take me along. Why can't I go this time? You know you can trust me. I don't want to lose you, we have to stay together," Clementine began to ramble on before Dallas placed a hand over her mouth, stopping her from talking any more.

"Fine. You can come with us. On one condition. When we are there, you have to promise to stay quiet and to listen and do exactly what you are told to do the whole time we are there. Got it?" Dallas asked, receiving a nod from Clementine.

"I'll go get ready, she said, running off to run up the stairs, passing Lee as she did.

"How much of that did you hear?" Dallas asked, standing up to move over to the stairs.

"Enough to know that that was a hard choice to make," Lee replied, leaning down on the banister.

"Lee, can I tell you something, in confidence. I'm not sure if it's true, but I'm fairly sure it is," Dallas asked, looking up at his close friend, his father figure.

"What's up?" Lee asked, coming further down the stairs to meet him.

"It's her parents. I don't think we're going to find them. And if we do, I don't think they're going to be alive," Dallas told him, looking down at his grimy shoes in guilt.

"I figured as much. There isn't anything you can do about it though, don't try to think too hard on it," Lee said, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know how I'll be able to tell her that we can't go looking for her parents. I don't think I can watch her heart break right in front of my eyes. Let her crumble in my hands. I think I would break if that happened," Dallas said, leaning onto Lee's shoulder to cry, his quiet sobs muffled by Lee's shirt.

"It is inevitable Dallas, you know that. When the day comes, you will know what to say. And when you tell her, she will know that she still has you. Yes, she may not be able to cope for a while, but it won't take her long to forget about it and move on," Lee assured him, wrapping an arm around Dallas' shoulders.

"Thanks Lee, you're the best," Dallas said, pulling away from Lee to wipe his eyes of any tears.

"No problem. Now, you had better get ready, you're going to be leaving in a couple of hours," Lee said, pushing Dallas down the hall to go get ready. To get ready to storm Crawford for all they are worth.

* * *

**Here is another chapter for you guys to read :)**

**Be happy its here, I just had my Year 12 Formal, and I am tired as all hell! But it was oh so worth it :3**

**Plus, like I have said before, I am on holidays, so hopefully I will be making my way through the chapters easily soon, fingers crossed ^_^**

**Anywho, farewell for now my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	44. Chapter 44 - Into the Lion's Den

A couple of hours later, everyone was standing out in the yard, loading up their guns and strapping up their weapons, getting ready to go. Dallas and Clementine were the last ones to come out, needing to go through the rules one more time for when they got to Crawford. Dallas noticed that Kenny wasn't present, looking around to see him walking out of the now lit up shed.

"You guys should see what I found in here. There's a hatchet, a hacksaw, and a whole lot of other tools. Thought they might come in handy for our little excursion," Kenny joked, watching as everyone walked over to the shed to collect a weapon for themselves. Dallas walked over and picked up a hammer, attaching it to his belt to use for later, while everyone else started picking up their own tools. He noticed another hammer nearby and picked it up, handing it over to Clementine to hold.

"Just in case," he said, after she gave him a worried look.

"Hey Dallas, Lee, do you boys mind if we have a chat?" Kenny asked, walking away from the rest of the group to stand by the bushes, with Lee and Dallas not far behind.

"What's up Ken?" Lee asked, watching his friend worriedly.

"I looked over the boat again. She's a 30-footer," Kenny told them, like it should mean something to them.

"And that matters because…?" Dallas asked, confused by what that meant.

"So, we're gonna have a little bit of a space problem once we get that thing up and running. A boat that size ain't gonna be able to hold more than about five people, even if one of them is a kid," Kenny explained, nodding his head to all the people standing nearby.

"You, me, Lee here, Clem, Carley, Ben, Christa, Omid, Molly, Chuck…" Dallas trailed off, counting out ten people altogether.

"We're going to have to cut our group in half if we ever hope of getting out of here. Even if we cut Molly loose, we still have four other people to get rid of. And I think the decision is pretty obvious," Kenny continued, pacing along the damp ground.

"Meaning?" Lee asked, looking between Kenny and Dallas for an answer.

"I could never leave Clem behind, you could never leave Carley behind and Kenny is the one that knows how to fix it up, plus we could never leave him. Our decision's been made for us," Dallas answered kicking a rock up against the house in frustration.

"You guys can't be serious about this?" Lee asked, looking to Kenny for confirmation.

"He's right Lee. Look, we're just saying, if we want the best chance of survival, we-" Kenny began to say, before he heard the gate open nearby, allowing Vernon and, unfortunately, Brie to enter the yard, looking ready to go.

"Why did you bring her along?" Dallas questioned, glaring at the woman that previously wanted him dead.

"She can help us, I promise," Vernon replied, nodding to Brie next to him.

"How?" Lee questioned, staring at the woman.

"I've used to attend the school where they keep all of their supplies, I know the layout of the place, that's how," Brie explained, a look of regret on her face as she tried to avoid Dallas' gaze.

"If we have her help, we'll be able to get in and out a whole lot faster. Anyone have any objections to that?" Vernon asked, looking around the group.

"I guess we don't," Dallas replied, after nobody chose to answer him.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get this underway," Molly said, slipping the hood of her hoodie over her head as she started walking over to the gate, everyone else following suit. When Clementine passed by him, Dallas grabbed her by the shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.

"Hold on for a moment," he said, kneeling down to look her right in the eyes. "You ready for this?"

"Ready," she replied, smiling at him.

"Woah, hold it. You can't take her with us on this," Vernon exclaimed, walking over to stand with the pair.

"I left her behind once, and she just followed me anyway, I'm not leaving her behind again. Besides, we work best together," Dallas told him, taking Clementine by the hand as he stood up to face Vernon.

"For what it's worth, I agree with the old guy, I don't think it's a good idea either," Molly said, having heard the conversation.

"Well it isn't your decision now is it? She's coming with us and that's that," Dallas snapped, glaring at Molly as he walked past her, Clementine in tow.

"You heard the man, let's get moving," Kenny announced, moving to walk alongside Dallas as everyone moved out of the backyard.

"Good luck guys," Lee called after them, watching them walk away. Just before everyone came out onto the street, Dallas turned to Kenny, a look of pride on his face.

"You consider me a man, not a boy?" Dallas questioned with a smile.

"Age don't matter in this fucked up world. Maturity and survival skills is all you need," Kenny told him with a smile. With that, the group made their way down the street to a nearby manhole, lifting the lid off so that everyone could start piling in. Kenny was the last one down, so he pulled the lid over the manhole, running to catch up with the rest of the group as they made their way through the maze that was the sewer system of Savannah. They continued to walk through the sewer system for what seemed like hours, Vernon taking them through seemingly every twist and turn that the city had to offer, a new turn coming along just as the last person came around. Thankfully, they finally reached their destination, as Vernon stopped at the bottom of a ladder, turning around to face the group.

"If my calculations are correct, this should be it. We should be right underneath the very heart of Crawford, the old school should be only a few steps away," Vernon told them, pointing up to the manhole with his thumb.

"Okay everyone, this is it. Remember the plan. We stay as quiet as possible, we stay as hidden as we can, and we stick together. We get in there, find what we need, and get out of there as quickly as possible, before anyone even knows we were there. Understood?" Dallas asked, addressing the large group of people standing nearby. Everyone nodded their heads to him, pulling out their weapons, ready to get moving.

"Let's go then," Vernon said, moving out of the way for Dallas to go up first. He grabbed the closest rung of the ladder and turned around to look at Clementine to give her a knowing look.

"That part about staying together? That goes double for you," he told her, before mounting the ladder to make his way up to the surface. Once he reached the top, he looked down to see Kenny following him up, his gun at the ready. Nodding his head, Dallas turned back around, took a deep breath in anticipation and slid the cover off of the manhole, pushing it away to let the light of the moon stream into the dark space. Cautiously, Dallas got out of the manhole and got out onto the street, scanning the area before turning to look down the manhole, motioning for the others to follow. While Dallas, Kenny and Vernon ran over to the nearby school, everyone else began piling out of the sewers one by one, quickly running over to join them.

"Where are the guards? There should be guards out patrolling," Vernon whispered, scanning the area for any sign of life.

"You sound disappointed," Kenny commented, looking down at the older man.

"It's just strange, that's all," Vernon told him, looking back out to the street.

"There's one over there. Looks like there is someone out here," Christa told them, pointing over to a man that was walking along the street nearby.

"Okay then. Kenny, you and I will sneak up on him, try our best to take him out quietly. The rest of you, wait here until we give you the signal to follow after us," Dallas said, motioning for Kenny to follow him. The pair quickly moved over to the man, making sure they didn't alert him to their presence as they approached. Soon, Dallas was right behind the man, his hammer in tow, as he stood up to strike the man on the back of the head. Unfortunately, the man must've heard them, because he began to turn around, realisation flooding into Dallas as he did. The man before them, was a walker. Thinking fast, Dallas spun the hammer around to the sharp side and stuck it into the walkers head, killing it instantly.

"What the shit?" Dallas heard Omid ask as the rest of the group walked over to examine the dead walker. Molly slipped off her hood to look at the walker, worry coming over her face.

"Why in the hell is there a walker in the supposed safe haven of the city?" Dallas asked, turning to her. Before she could give an answer, a whole lot of loud groaning filled the air as walkers started appearing from all directions, slowly converging on their position.

"Quickly everyone! Get inside, now!" Kenny ordered, leading the group over to the double door of the school, everyone running closely behind him, to escape the officially dead town of Crawford.

* * *

**Here we go guys...CRAWFORD**

**I have many plans for this, and you may or may not like what happens :D**

**I don't even know why I did what I did for some of them, but just keep an open mind guys ^_^**

**Hope you guys have been enjoying my story so far, because I've been enjoying writing it for you all :3**

**Anywho, farewell for now my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	45. Chapter 45 - That Was Unexpected

Everyone ran up the stairs of the school frantically, hearing the groans of the walkers close behind as they continued up into the school. Soon, they came up to some more double doors, Dallas throwing them open for everyone to get inside. Brie and Vernon were the last ones to enter, slamming the door behind them as they came into the hall.

"Fuck, fuck! Do you think those things saw us?" Kenny asked, looking over at a panting Dallas.

"I honestly don't know. I really hope not," Dallas replied, noticing Clementine putting her hands over her ears, looking quite frightened. He knelt down to hold her close, trying to comfort her, while the rest of the group looked around, examining the school hall they were standing in.

"What in the hell happened to this place? I thought this was supposed to be the most secure place in the city!" Christa exclaimed, kicking a nearby locker.

"What always happens in this world I guess. In the end, the undead will always come out on top," Molly deadpanned, looking over the rest of the group.

"Oh man, we are so screwed…" Ben said, pacing back and forth fearfully.

"Isn't this a good thing? Doesn't it mean there's no one here to deal with apart from those things?" Omid asked, walking over to comfort his worried girlfriend.

"He's right, this is a good thing," Vernon agreed, getting strange looks from some of the group.

"I guess we can deal with walkers easier than we can deal with a group of armed guards," Dallas theorised, standing up to look at the group.

"The undead are definitely less of a hassle," Chuck agreed, putting his shovel onto his back.

"As long as we don't let those things box us in, we should be fine. The plan hasn't changed," Kenny said, agreeing with all the statements being made.

"The plan hasn't changed? Every time those things come into the picture, everything changes," Ben argued, turning to Kenny.

"Well, do you want to go out and do a head count son? Because we'd be happy to let you go out if it means you shut your yap and listen for once," Chuck said, making Ben shut his mouth quickly.

"Come on, I think I know where we should go," Brie said, leading the group down the hall. Shaking his head, Ben quickly followed after the group, staying as close as he could. Brie led them all the way down to the end of the hall until they reached a door, which she stopped right in front of. "This is the place."

"Let's get in then," Dallas ordered, leading the group into the classroom in single file. Everyone moved around the room to examine its content, while Brie came in last, closing the door behind her. Looking around, Dallas noticed another door nearby, with a big sign saying 'armoury' on the front.

"So, now what do we do? Where do we start looking for what we need?" Molly asked, turning to Brie, as everyone else did.

"Here," Brie replied, pointing to a nearby map. Dallas, Kenny and Brie all moved over to the map, the rest of the group crowding around them as they examined it. Brie quickly looked over the map, nodding her head every so often, looking like she was doing some calculations in her head.

"So where should we go to look for medicine?" Dallas asked, looking at the map beside Brie.

"Right there, a nurse's station. They were using it as their medical facility," Molly answered, pointing to one of the smaller squares.

"How do you know that?" Dallas asked, looking at her suspiciously.

"It makes sense doesn't it?" Molly snapped, moving away from the group.

"How about fuel?" Kenny asked, looking over the map.

"There's a maintenance shed over near the playground, over here. If they wanted to store any fuel, that would probably be the best place to put it," Brie answered, pointing up to the top of the map.

"What about a battery?" Kenny asked.

"There could be one out in the auto shop. There used to be one out in the alley, near the fire escape," Vernon answered, pointing to the top-right hand corner of the map.

"Alright then, I'll make the run for the fuel at the maintenance shed," Kenny said, examining the map once more.

"It'll make things faster if I join you, I can take you right over to it," Brie said, standing beside him.

"I can go as well," Ben offered, receiving a shake of the head from Dallas.

"No, the two of them should be able to handle it. You see what tools are lying around and see if you can open the armoury door for us. We might need to shoot our way out of here" Dallas told him, receiving a nod in return.

"I'll go to find the medicine," Vernon suggested, as Chuck stepped towards him.

"I'll come along to help you," Chuck offered, shaking Vernon's hand.

"I'll go for the battery then," Dallas said, turning to Molly.

"I'll come with you," she said, hooking her ice pick onto bag.

"What about us?" Omid asked, looking at Dallas expectantly.

"Is there a cafeteria or something nearby? A place to find food?" Dallas asked Brie, scanning the map.

"Of course, just over here," Brie replied, pointing to another part of the school that didn't look too far away.

"And me?" Clementine asked, looking up at Dallas.

"I want you to stay here and keep an eye on Ben, help him out." Clementine nodded, a serious look on her face as she stepped back into the group.

"Looks like we're ready then," Kenny said happily, moving to stand with the group.

"Everyone be careful while you're out there. Stick close to each other, and we will all meet back here once we're done. Good luck," Dallas said, addressing the group. Everyone exited the room once more, moving off to go to their respective locations. Molly was the last to walk out, turning around to look at Dallas, a sly smile on her face, just as the door closed behind her.

"I still can't believe you're leaving me with Ben," Clementine complained behind Dallas.

"I'm not leaving you with him, don't worry. I think it's the other way around, if you know what I mean," Dallas joked, kneeling down in front of her. Realisation dawned on her face, a large grin forming on her mouth as she understood what he meant.

"Oh, okay. That makes more sense," she giggled.

"I'll be back before you know it, don't worry," Dallas reassured her, walking over to talk to Ben before he left.

"Thanks Dallas, for trusting me with something," Ben said, standing up from the door, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"I guess I'm feeling a little generous today," Dallas joked, smiling at the teen.

"So, does that mean we're good?" Ben asked hopefully, staring right at Dallas.

"I'm still not fully over what you did, but I think we are. You had no choice at the time, you wanted to help. That's all that matters," Dallas told him, a big smile forming on Ben's face.

"Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you," Ben exclaimed, pulling Dallas into a tight hug, turning out to be stronger than he looked.

"No problem Ben. Could you let me go now?" Dallas asked, struggling to breath.

"Oh, shit, sorry. Sorry. I just hated the thought of you hating me. We've grown so close over the last week, I hated not being able to talk to you like we had been," Ben told him, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"You like talking to me?" Dallas questioned, making Ben blush a little.

"Yeah, of course. I mean, we're friends, so why wouldn't I?" Ben stuttered, turning around to play around with the door again.

"Ben…" Dallas trailed off, looking at him strangely.

"Never mind, you should get going," Ben said quickly, not turning back around to look at him. Sighing, Dallas began to walk away, ready to go meet up with Molly, before he heard Ben stand up and walk over to him.

"So, what were you saying?" Dallas asked, curious about his little display from before.

"This is something different actually. Something that's been on my mind all day. I could use your opinion, since it matters so much to me," Ben said, looking down at the ground.

"What's wrong?" Dallas asked, looking at his friend worriedly.

"It's Kenny. Ever since I started working on the boat with him today, I started to get to him a little better. He's a really good guy you know? I can't keep being around him, knowing what I know, having done what I did, and not want to tell him," Ben explained.

"Not this again," Dallas groaned, rubbing his temples.

"You know it's my fault they all died. Lilly, Duck and Katjaa, that was me, I killed them. If I hadn't screwed up like I usually do, they might still be alive right now, we might still be safe back at the Motor Inn. How am I supposed to carry something like that around on my shoulders? I need to tell him," Ben pleaded, looking ready to cry.

"Okay, look Ben. I know you're hearts in the right place, but now is not the best time to be having this conversation. Kenny isn't in a good state of mind right now, and you telling him isn't going to make him any better," Dallas told him, thinking back on all the times Kenny lost it.

"You don't understand Dallas. What am supposed to do if he ever brings Katjaa and Duck up again? I can't just nod and pretend like nothing happened, like it wasn't my fault. I just can't handle it anymore," Ben argued, leaning against the wall to slide to the ground. Sighing, Dallas knelt down in front of him, laying a hand on his friend's shoulder. Ben jumped at the touched, but relaxed into it, looking it Dallas' eyes with his own sad ones.

"I have to deal with it too, I understand what you're going through. But now is just not the time. There'll come a time when he will be ready to hear it from you, but you just need to wait," Dallas told him, smiling at his friend.

"Thanks Dallas, I hear you. I better get back to it, thanks for the pep talk," Ben thanked him, pulling him into another hug, before standing back up to examine the door.

"No problem." Nodding his head to Clementine he walked over to the door, exiting to find Molly, not noticing the longing look on Ben's face as he closed the door behind him.

* * *

**So yeah, I hope that last bit was understandable, and not weird for you guys at all. To be perfectly honest, I don't even know why I did it, but I thought it would be a nice addition to Ben, giving him a little emotional backing. People don't give Ben enough credit I think. Yes he made a big mistake, yes he got people killed, but he didn't mean for it to happen. Anyway, sorry about the rant guys, moving on ^_^**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter, I'm nearly finished with the rest of the episode 4 chapters, and I must say, things are going to be interesting :P**

**Please don't hate me when the time comes :c**

**Anyway, farewell my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	46. Chapter 46 - Charge Me Up

Stepping out into the hall, Dallas made his way down it, looking around at the lockers and walls as he went. Molly was nowhere in sight, probably having already gone on ahead to wait for Dallas near the fire escape that led outside. He was soon passing the door they entered in through, noticing that Molly was at the other end of the hall.

"The alleyway to auto shop we're looking for is just down here. You coming or what?" Molly called down, disappearing around a corner. Shaking his head, Dallas ran over to try and catch up to her, but when he turned the corner, he found that she had already vanished. Sighing, he made his way down the hall, turning another corner to see a door at the end of the next hall. He walked right up to it and pulled it open, stepping back out into the cold night air, looking around for where Molly was.

"Where in the hell is she?" Dallas whispered to himself, making his way down the fire escape to the ground. He quietly called her name while he was walking around, hoping that she hadn't gone too far ahead of him. He made his way down the alleyway, noticing a small shed near a fence, probably a place he could use to get to the other side. He stepped inside the shed and looked around, noticing that there was a very large hole in the roof, just big enough for him to fit through. Grabbing the closest shelf, he pulled himself up, placing each of his feet on the shelves carefully as he went up. Soon, he was standing on the edge of the shed, ready to jump over to the other side of the fence, where the auto shop was waiting. After a small intake of breath, Dallas jumped, landing on the ground heavily, making him fall to his knees. After stumbling to his feet, he moved over to the nearby garage door, trying his best to open it, but to no avail. Groaning in frustration, he stood up straight, kicking the door in frustration. Just as he did however, he heard a loud thud behind him, turning around to find a walker that wasn't there before, lying down on the ground, unmoving. Dallas moved over to examine him, kneeling down to have a look at him, before he heard another loud thud from behind him. Is it raining walkers or something?

"Leave him!" a voice shouted. Dallas stood up to turn around, finding that it was just Molly, her ice pick in hand and her mask over her face.

"Why in the hell were you up there?" Dallas asked her as she walked right past him to the dead body nearby. Choosing to ignore him, Molly started beating the crap out of the dead body, kicking it as hard as she could in the gut. She continued to kick it everywhere she could, in the side, in the head in the leg, not a single limb of the body was safe. Next, she started swinging her ice pick into it, loud squelching noises being heard every time it made contact.

"You fucker! Die!" Molly screamed, stabbing the dead body multiple times.

"Molly? Molly!" Dallas shouted, walking over to lay a hand on her shoulder, which she shook off.

"What the fuck do you want?" she snapped, turning around to face him, the point of her weapon covered in blood.

"What in the hell are you doing? It's already dead, beating it up isn't going to change that," he replied, looking at her in confusion.

"Since when do you get to tell me what to do? You can kill geeks your way, and I can go ahead and kill 'em my way," Molly exclaimed, kicking the body in the head once more. Sighing, Dallas moved to stand beside her, looking down at the dead body closely.

"He's wearing medical scrubs isn't he? He's like a scientist or a doctor, or something," Dallas theorised, trying to read his name badge.

"Yeah, well, he ain't shit now is he?" Molly said, giving the body one last kick before bending down, looking thoroughly exhausted. "Did you find a way in yet?"

"Yeah, I did. But the damn thing is jammed up tight, I can't raise the stupid thing," Dallas replied, moving over to try opening the garage again.

"That shouldn't be a problem, look at what I found," Molly said, pulling something off of her belt to throw to Dallas. Looking down at the object, he realised that it was a car jack.

"This should work," he said, turning around to put it under the door. Just as he was about to start turning the side, he froze, noticing nearby groans coming from just down the alley. Turning to look for the source, he saw a large group of walkers on the other side of a nearby fence, all of them pushing against it to get to fresh meat. They soon succeeded in pushing it down, the few at the front falling to the ground as they did.

"Hurry up with that thing!" Molly exclaimed, gripping her weapon tightly. Without hesitation, Dallas started to turn the handle, managing to push the door up more and more as he did. When the space underneath the door was large enough for them to crawl through, they did just that, barely escaping the invading walkers as they went into the auto shop. Looking back, they watched the walkers move right by, completely oblivious to the fact that their next meal vanished underneath the door.

"Thank god for that," Dallas breathed, getting to his feet at the same time as Molly did.

"Why don't you go and have a look around, I'll make sure none of them get under the door," Molly suggested, walking over to wait by the door. Nodding his head, Dallas turned around to look at the auto shop, wondering where the best place would be to find a battery. Looking up, he saw a car, suspended in mid-air by a car elevator. He also noticed that the car had a blinking light, probably meaning that it had some sort of anti-theft system on it, which only made his job that much harder. He moved over to a nearby panel and pressed the button to lower the car, but there wasn't any power, so that car stayed in its original position. Getting an idea, after seeing the hydraulic pump nearby, he walked over to Molly, hoping she would be okay with what he wanted to ask her. But first, he wanted answer.

"What was all that back in the alley? Did you know that guy?" Dallas asked, startling Molly a little.

"What do you mean? Why would I know him? He jumped me up on that rooftop, tried to take a bite out of my shoulder. So, I took care of business. You have a problem with that?" she questioned, glaring at Dallas.

"It's not that. It's just that you seemed like you went a little too far when you were putting that beating on him," Dallas pointed out, receiving an eye roll in return.

"You never really know when those things are fully dead or not, okay?. Now, was there anything else you wanted, or can you get back to finding the battery?" she asked, looking down at the space below the door.

"I was actually wondering if I might be able to borrow that hook thing of yours," Dallas said, pointing to the weapon in her hand.

"I'm not so sure about that. Hilda and I have been through a lot together," Molly told him, bringing it up to eye level.

"You call it Hilda?" Dallas questioned, a smirk on his face.

"That's right. Don't judge me, it's a good name," Molly argued, being unable to hide the smile on her face.

"Could I please borrow Hilda? I promise I will take very good care of her. Not a scratch on her when I'm done," Dallas reassured her, reaching his hand out hopefully.

"I'm holding you to that," she smiled, handing him Hilda. Nodding his head in thanks, he walked over to the hydraulics hose, using Hilda to fix it up so that the lift controls were working again. Pressing the button, the lift started to descend slowly, bring the car down with it, and hopefully, a battery as well. As it was coming down, it started to speed up, coming to the ground with a loud smash, causing the car alarm to start blaring.

'Shit," Dallas swore, looking over to Molly, who was currently crouched down, looking under the door.

"That is definitely not good," Molly called over the noise, looking out the door. As she spoke, walkers started to get down on their hands and knees to try getting in, being attracted by the loud sound.

"Here's Hilda! Hold them off while I get the battery!" Dallas shouted, throwing Molly her weapon so that she could keep away the oncoming walkers. Looking down at the open hood, Dallas found its battery, perfectly nestled off to the side. Sighing in relief, he quickly started to unscrew the cables attaching the battery to the car, pulling them off as fast as he could. The battery was soon free to be pulled out, allowing Dallas to pull it out of the car, ready to leave. "Got it!"

Awesome. We've still got a problem here though," Molly called back, killing a walker that was trying to get inside.

'What do we do?" Dallas asked, running over to stand beside her, holding the battery in his hands.

"Put it in my backpack, I'll carry it," she replied, turning so that her back was to him. Not wasting a moment, he placed the battery in her bag and followed her away from the door, over to the semi-truck, as she started to climb.

"Where are you going?" Dallas asked frantically, looking back at the walkers coming out from underneath the garage door.

"I'm going out of here, if you must know. Now move your ass," she called back, waiting for Dallas to follow her. Once Dallas made it up to the top of the truck, he looked down to see a very large group of walkers surrounding the truck, grasping at thin air.

"There wasn't that many before…" Dallas trailed off, wondering how so many appeared so quickly.

"The skylight, we can escape out through there," Molly suggested, pointing up to the roof. Nodding his head, Dallas pulled his rifle over his head and fired at the glass, shattering it in an instant. As he was putting it back over his head, Molly had already used Hilda to jump up to the skylight, pulling herself up onto the roof.

"Now me!" Dallas shouted, making Molly lean down to stick her hand out to him. He jumped as high as he could, grabbing a hold of her hand so that she could pull him up onto the roof next to her.

"Come on, let's get back to the others," she said, standing up to go to the edge of the roof nearby, looking down at the ground.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Dallas asked, watching her closely.

"Like this." Before Dallas could stop her she ran along the roof, jumping off just as she reached the edge, managing to hook Hilda onto the other, helping to pull her up onto the next roof.

"You're kidding me right?" Dallas called, looking down at the long drop between the two buildings.

"Come on. What, are you a chicken? Dallas the chicken? Just jump already," Molly teased, smirking at him.

"No one calls me chicken," he said, running at the building, leaping across to reach out for Molly's waiting hand. She gripped onto his hand tightly, pulling him up onto the roof to join her. They walked along the roof until they found the hole they passed under before, which led right back into the school. Dallas jumped down as soon as he reached the hole, landing on the ground with a soft thud, looking up Molly, who hadn't followed him.

"You go on ahead, I have something I have to go and do first. Catch you later," Molly said, turning around to go back the way they came.

"Hey, wait. Where are you going? You still have the battery!" Dallas shouted after, making her stop in her tracks.

"I think I'm going to hold onto it for a while, if you don't mind. Can't have you leaving without me now can I? See you back in class," she smirked, disappearing from view.

"God, she's going to be the end of me," Dallas groaned in frustration. He decided he might as well head back to the classroom to see if anyone had made it back yet, hoping that they would be able to leave soon. As he was making his way back to the classroom, he heard shouting and footsteps coming up the staircase they had come in through, just as Kenny and Brie came through the doors.

"A little help would be nice!" Kenny exclaimed, pushing the door shut behind them as walkers started banging from the other side. They dropped their belongings on the ground so that they could keep the door shut, Dallas noticing Kenny drop his hatchet down nearby. Thinking fast, he picked it up and moved over to the door, where there was a walker head sticking out through the crack. Dallas moved over to the door and swung the hatchet into the walkers head, killing it and making it fall back into the crowd, allowing them to close the door. He quickly slipped the hatchet in between the handles.

"Reckon that'll hold?" Dallas asked, stepping away from the door to look at the walkers on the other side.

"It better, or we're fucked," Kenny replied, moving over to pick up the fuel.

"There's so many of them," Brie commented, picking up the other fuel can.

"At least we have the fuel now," Dallas pointed out, walking back to the classroom with Kenny and Brie.

"Let's not start getting too excited yet. Let's get back to that classroom," Kenny said, looking over at Brie, who seemed to be struggling with her fuel cans.

"Here, let me help," Dallas offered, taking one of the fuel cans off of Brie, easily hefting it onto his shoulder.

"Thanks," Brie said, sounding surprised that he had helped her. They soon made it back to the classroom, where Ben was still working on the door and Clementine jumped out of her desk, running up to greet everyone.

"You're back," she said excitedly, looking up at Dallas and Kenny.

"Yeah, and we did ourselves a pretty good job too," Kenny told her, gesturing to the nearby fuel.

"Great work Kenny," Ben praised, turning around to look at his returning friends, looking at Dallas a little longer than the others.

"How are you doing with that door over there?" Kenny asked, moving over to stand behind Ben.

"Not so good," Ben admitted.

"I'll give you a hand, let me have a look," Kenny sighed, kneeling down beside Ben. "So, did you get that battery yet?"

"Yeah, I did. But when we came back, Molly left with it in her backpack, saying she'd be back later," Dallas explained, hearing a grunt of annoyance come from Kenny.

"She better not take too long," he said, glancing back at Dallas before working on the door once more. Wondering where Chuck and Vernon were, Dallas wondered over to the door, intent on going to find them.

"Hey Dallas, could we talk?" Brie asked, moving up to him before he could reach the door handle.

"Sure, what's up?" he asked her, moving over to stand in front of her.

"I just wanted to thank you. For helping us out before. I don't think we would've made it through that without you," she said, looking a little guilty.

"No problem, we're working together here, no reason we shouldn't be helpful," Dallas told her with a smile.

"You even went so far to help me with the fuel. I was a bitch to you back in the hospital, and yet you're still perfectly happy to be nice to me. Why?" she questioned, meeting his gaze.

"I find it hard to hold personal vendettas against people. I couldn't blame you, we had only just met," Dallas pointed out, as Brie nodded her head in agreement.

"I still want to apologise for the way I acted, I was a real bitch to you. I was just looking out for my people, the same way you do yours. In the end, you didn't deserve the third degree," Brie apologised, staring down at her shoes.

"It's fine, I understand, don't worry. Apology accepted," Dallas told her with a smile.

"Thanks. Well, you had better get back out there, we don't want to stay here for too long," Brie told him, pointing to the door. Nodding his head, Dallas went back over to the door, opening it up, ready to go and find Vernon and Chuck at the nurse's station.

* * *

**I thought that Brie deserved to sound a little nicer, she isn't given enough credit for how nice she could really be ^_^**

**Anywho, I am getting closer and closer to starting episode 5 chapters, which means not long until season 2 stories begin :D**

**Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, things will slowly get more and more exciting as time goes by, so prepare yourselves :P**

**Farewell for now my Bookies of Awesomeness ^_^**


	47. Chapter 47 - Revelations

Dallas made his way back down the hall away from the classroom, off to find his way to the nurse's station to find Vernon and Christa. On his way there, he passed Christa and Omid, the pair of them being the food bearers once more. They had quite a few bags full of supplies for the group to bring back once everything was done here, plenty for the entire group to eat. When he looked through the bags, he pulled a Twinkie out with a devilish grin thrown Omid's way, who returned the smile with a playful scowl. After they had left, and Dallas had finished eating his favourite comfort food, Dallas had continued on to the nurse's station, wondering what was taking Vernon and Chuck so long. He soon reached the turn off to the nurse's station and went around, quickly jumping into cover when he saw what was in front of him. Instead of finding the two older men, Dallas had ended up finding a small group of walkers, all of them trying to get into the nearby room. He pulled his crossbow off of his back and moved up into a kneeling position, aiming his bow at the walkers. Without delay, he shot off his first arrow, killing one of the walkers ,as he started to reload his bow. The walkers must've noticed that their friend had died, as a few turned around to start shuffling towards Dallas. He stood up to his full height at let another arrow fly away, quickly reloading the bow, and letting off another. He continued to fire and reload for another minute or so, until he ran out of arrows, having only his hammer left to take care of the two remaining walkers. He pulled his hammer from his belt and stalked over to his two targets. He struck the first one in the back of the head with the sharp side of the hammer, managing to lodge it into the walker's skull as he killed it. As he tried to pull it out the now stuck hammer, the other walker noticed him, turning around to start moving towards him. After one big pull, he got the hammer out and swung it at the walker, knocking it to the ground so that he could get on top of it, to bash its head in. Soon, the last walker was down and the door opened behind him, to reveal Vernon and Chuck, the latter holding his shovel above his head.

"Did you get all of them?" Vernon asked, stepping out into the hall to look at the mass of dead bodies lying on the ground nearby.

"Took me a bit of effort, but yeah, I did," Dallas replied, dropping his hammer to the ground as he tried to catch his breath.

"Good job son, you certainly know how to take care of yourself," Chuck said, helping Dallas back to his feet.

"Thanks. So, did you guys find anything yet?" Dallas asked, moving around to collect his arrows, with Chuck helping him.

"We think so, but it's all in an electronically locked cabinet, we can't get into it," Vernon answered, moving back into the nurse's office to wait for Dallas and Chuck to finish. Once they had, Chuck and Dallas followed Vernon inside, moving over to the far side of the room where he was now leaning over a low cabinet.

"So there's no way to bust the thing open?" Dallas asked, trying to force the door open with his hand.

"Probably could, if we had enough time. But if we're being honest here, we don't have much of that, the state this place is in. It definitely quicker if we could find out the four digit code to unlock it," Vernon told him, looking up at the teen.

"Well, I don't reckon that there be some slip of paper just lying around here, waiting for us to find it. Better have a look around to see if we can find it," Chuck said, moving over to the nearby counter to examine it.

"Keep trying to figure a different way into the cabinet, I'll have a look around for the code, or maybe for something that could open it," Dallas said, moving over to search with Chuck. He noticed a folder lying on the counter as he approached, deciding to open it up to see if there was any information they could use inside. Instead, he found a patient's records, a woman by the name of 'Anna Correa', along with a small tape sitting at the bottom of the file. Curious about what the tape may contain, he picked it up and looked around for something to play it in, noticing the nearby camcorder. Walking over to it, he slipped the tape into the side and placed his hand on the play button, motioning for Chuck and Vernon to come over and join him while he watched it. As soon as the video began, it was easy to see that It was taken before Crawford went to shit, the room looking quite clean, and two alive people occupying it.

_"This is day eighty-two since the outbreak… fifteen forty-seven. Doctor Logan in consultation with Patient Anna Correa," a man's voice said from off screen. _

_"Why are you recording this?" Anna asked, looking up at the man as he came into view._

_"Regulations. Oberson has ordered me to keep records of all medical examinations and consultations," Logan explained, turning to look at the woman. "I need you to brace yourself Anna. The sonogram confirms that you're pregnant."_

_"Oh god, oh god, oh god," Anna said, placing her hands over her face, as her elbows sank down to her knees. _

_"As you know, the rules are very clear. The termination is mandatory," Logan told her apologetically. _

_"You don't have to tell them. Tell them it was nausea, that you gave me something for it and it went away. This is my problem, no yours," Anna pleaded, turning to look up at Logan. _

_"If Oberson finds out that I concealed evidence of a pregnancy… I'm sorry, but these are the rules. I'm going to give you a sedative. It'll make the procedure easier on you," Logan explained, moving over to open the cabinet, blocking the keypad. _

_"I don't the procedure! I want my baby! I can't do this!" Anna shouted, sinking back into her hands again. _

_"Anna, you don't have a choice. Now if you like you can take some time with this, but I need you to come back no later than tomorrow. Or I'll have no choice but to inform Oberson myself. I'm sorry," Logan said, as Anna ran out of the room, disappearing from sight. _

"Dammit, we almost had it. If he hadn't been blocking our view, we could've got it," Vernon exclaimed, moving away from the camcorder angrily.

"What in the hell were they running in this place?" Chuck questioned, looking shocked for the first time since Dallas met him.

"It's just like Molly told us," Dallas agreed, shaking his head.

"Keep looking around for more tapes, there has to be others somewhere," Vernon told him, moving over to the counter, while Chuck went to rummaged through some drawers.

"The doctor, I've seen him before. He was one of the walkers we took down out in the alley in front of the auto shop," Dallas said, remembering the walker Molly beat the shit out of.

"Why don't you go search him, might have what we're looking for," Vernon suggested. Before Dallas had a chance to walk out of the room, he noticed Chuck nearby, gesturing for him to come over.

"What's up?" Dallas asked, once he was standing beside Chuck.

"Have you noticed your friend Ben lately?" Chuck asked, confusing Dallas a little.

"What do you mean?" Dallas asked back, worried that Chuck might know something.

"How strangely the two of you have been acting, how strange he acts when he talks to you. Do you even realise son?" Chuck questioned, turning to look up at Dallas with knowing eyes.

"I honestly don't know what you are talking about," Dallas told him, hoping he didn't know about what Ben did.

"Just be careful son, that kind of secret, it can pull groups apart," Chuck told him, turning away to continue looking through the drawers. Wondering how much Chuck knew, Dallas started to

"How you doing?" Dallas asked Vernon, since he hadn't had a chance to talk to the man properly since they first met.

"Things could definitely be better at the moment. I'm worried that by the time we actually get that cabinet open, it may be too late for your friend," Vernon answered grimly.

"We'll get in there in time, I'm sure of it," Dallas reassured the man, not wanting to think about what might happen if they lost Carley. "Listen, I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am that you came along with us, and for all the help you gave us. I appreciate it a lot, and I'm sure everyone else does."

"Don't mention it son, it's times like this that we have to stick together the most right? If we don't that makes us no better than those Crawford bastards. Or, better than what they were at least," Vernon told him, adding the last bit with a chuckle.

"I hear you. So, how much time to you reckon Carley has left before we can't help her anymore do you think?" Dallas asked, turning the conversation to a more serious point.

"If it's my medical opinion you want, then I would say the sooner the better. The quicker we can get some antibiotics into her, the quicker she can start to fight the infection. After that, I hope she's a fighter," Vernon answered, his face turning grim once more.

"We can save her, I know we can. We just have to get the cabinet open, and we'll be golden," Dallas assured him, waving goodbye as he opened the nearby door, leaving the room to go find the good doctor. It wasn't long before Dallas was back at the fire escape, making his way over to the alleyway once more. When he reached the fence, he looked through and found that all the walkers had left, probably either still inside the auto shop or had gone back through the broken fence. Moving over to the nearby shed to get over the fence, he stepped inside and went to start climbing the shelf again. Before he had a chance to pull himself up, a walker jumped out of nowhere and grabbed him, pushing him backwards. He tried his best to wrestle with it, but was having troubles, slowly being pushed towards the nearby wall, where he would be practically defenceless. Pushing with all his might, he pushed the walker away from him, causing it to stumble into the shelves, making some heavy object fall on its head, killing it. Sighing in relief, he climbed up the shelves and made it to the roof, jumping down to the ground. Looking around, he noticed Logan's corpse nearby, trying to crawl his way out of the alley, out onto the street. He walked over to the walker and stood next to it, bringing his foot down against his head without hesitation, knowing this man was one of them. Kneeling down next to the corpse, Dallas began to rummage through his pockets, managing to find another tape, but also finding a set of numbers which looked like a number combination to a locker. Maybe it was for one of the lockers in the school. Soon, Dallas was back in the school, making his way down the hall, back over to the nurse's office. Just before he turned the corner around to the nurse's station, he noticed a Logan's name on one of the lockers. Pulling it the slip of paper before, he used the combination on it to open the lock, managing to open the locker to look inside. Inside, he found yet another tape, which only brought up his chances of finding out the safe combination for the cabinet. He continued on his way to the nurse's station and stepped inside, showing off the two new tapes to his friends.

"I found more tapes," he announced, walking over to the camcorder once more, the two older men joining him to watch the next tape, the one that was dated to be the day after the previous one.

_"Have you made a decision?" Logan asked from off screen, soon appearing to walk past Anna, who was sitting on the bed again. _

_"I thought you said I didn't have a choice," Anna stated, glaring at him._

_"Well, technically you do. You can terminate the pregnancy, or leave Crawford. Of course that would be a death sentence for both you and your unborn child," Logan explained, looking down at her. _

_"Maybe that's best, I stayed up all last night thinking about this. Why are we even trying to survive, to on keep living, if this is what it takes? If this is what it's turned us into?" Anna said, looking more distraught than the day before. _

_"I don't make the rules Anna," Logan told her apologetically. _

_"Doctor, I'm begging you. Please help me," she begged him. _

_"Maybe one day, when things are different, you can try again. But for now, today, we have to do this," he told her, walking over to the safe._

Dallas zoomed in on the picture a bit to focus on the keypad, watching Logan input the correct code. Just as Vernon was about to walk off to open the safe, the video continued on.

_Anna jumped up from the bed and ran over to the cabinet nearby, picking up a scalpel to stab into Logan's side. As she pulled out his gun and ran out of the room, Logan repeatedly said no, over and over again, as he slowly collapsed to the floor, stumbling towards the camcorder. As he did so, gunshots could be heard in the background, which could only mean that Anna was shooting anyone that got in her way. _

"Well, now we know what happened to Crawford," Dallas said, still in shock from what he saw.

"That doesn't matter. What does matter is that we got the combination," Vernon said, walking over to the safe. He punched the combination into the safe and it swung open. "We're in business."

"Do we have everything we need in there?" Chuck asked, walking over with Dallas to look inside.

"There's antibiotics, morphine, bandages, the works. We'll take as much as we are able to carry with us," Vernon replied, stuffing some of it into his pockets, handing some over to Chuck and Dallas to do the same.

"Is there enough here?" Dallas asked, stuffing the meds into any pockets he could find on his person.

"There's definitely enough here to take care of your friend and to take back to my people. We can get going now." The group of three moved over to the door and walked out into the hall, hopefully heading over to the classroom for the last time. Remembering that he still had that third tape to look at he pulled it out, looking down at it.

"You guys go on ahead, I have to do something quickly," he told Vernon and Chuck, running back into the nurse's station. He pulled the last tape out of the camcorder and placed it on the nearby counter, slipping the new one inside, to see what it contained. He wasn't off to a good start, as the video started playing, opening with Logan zipping up his pants in front of the camera.

_"Listen. As fun as this was, I have to put a stop to this little arrangement. This is the last I can give you," Logan said, moving aside to reveal Molly, zipping up her jacket, as he moved over to the safe. _

_"Why?" Molly asked angrily, moving over to look at him. _

_"Oberson had someone down here yesterday taking inventory, he's really cracking down. I just can't risk it," Logan told her, opening the cabinet to pull out some meds. _

_"We had a deal!" Molly shouted in his face, her rage flaring up. _

_"Yes. We HAD a deal. We don't anymore," he said, handing her the meds he pulled out. _

_"My sister needs this medicine. Without it she'll die. Or she'll start showing symptoms and they'll take her away. I can't let that happen," Molly pleaded, sounding desperate._

_"I'm sorry Molly. I've done all I can. But I have to look out for myself here," he apologised, his face full of regret. _

_"Yeah, that's the Crawford way, isn't it?" she asked rhetorically, shoving Logan as she left the room. _

"Bloody hell," Dallas cursed, storming out of the room. As he passed underneath the hole in the roof, he noticed Molly jumping down, a smirk on her face.

"Honey, I'm home," she laughed, walking up to a pissed off Dallas.

"Where the fuck have you been?" he questioned angrily.

"Sightseeing," she replied nonchalantly, moving to walk past him before he grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back in front of him.

"I'll take the battery back now," he said, glaring at her.

"Oh, yeah. The battery. Well, you see, about that…," she trailed off, looking down at the ground in regret.

"Please don't tell me you-" Dallas began to say, before she slid her backpack off of her back, pulling the battery.

"Kidding," she said, handing it over to him. As he was taking it from her, he noticed something in her hand, something that looked like a picture.

"Nothing," she said quickly, hiding it behind her back.

"Molly. I already fucking know. You were a resident here in Crawford. And you were screwing the doctor so you could get your sister her meds," Dallas snapped, making Molly take a few steps back.

"I was only trying to take care of her. Do you even understand how degraded I felt doing that? I hated myself every time I did it, every time I walked into that fucking office. All that asshole saw it was a chance for a quick poke, and all he had to do was skim a little off of the meds in return," she shouted, taking Dallas by surprise.

"I'm sorry, I didn't-" Dallas began to say before Molly slapped him across the face.

"Sorry, I just need to do that," she apologised. Sighing, she handed the photo over to Dallas to look at, showing the face of a pretty young girl, or about fifteen or sixteen.

"What happened?" he asked, handing the photo back to her.

"It wasn't long after Logan stopped giving me the insulin for my sister that Oberson went on a witch hunt. It didn't take him long to find out she had diabetes. So, he threw her, along with at least a quarter of the population, out onto the streets, leaving them all to die. I wished I'd realized sooner who they were, what kind of people they were, before they ruined my life," Molly told him, tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to do anything. You'd been lying and lies have killed people I know before," he told her, pulling her into a hug.

"Thanks, it's fine," Molly sniffed, pulling away from Dallas, just as a far off bell began to ring.

"I think that may be our cue to get going," Dallas said, leading Molly away down the hall. The pair walked right past the door that they entered into the building through, noticing that it was far too quiet. Suddenly, they heard the wood creak nearby, alerting Molly and Dallas to the danger nearby. Nodding to each other, Dallas pulled out his hammer and Molly pulled out her ice-pick, both of them ready for whatever was about to come around the corner. They were surprised, when they rounded the corner and Ben jumped out of nowhere, brandishing a hatchet in his hands.

"Godammit Benn," Dallas cursed, shoving Ben slightly.

"Sorry, sorry. I kind of got spooked by the bells out there, and then I heard someone coming so…" Ben trailed off, kicking his feet at the ground sheepishly.

"Why are you even out here?" Dallas questioned, looking around for the rest of the group.

"Kenny and I are still having trouble getting the door to the armoury open. He sent me out her to look around for something we can use to bust it open. I found this," Ben told them, showing them the hatchet, realisation dawning on Dallas as he turned to look at the nearby double doors, where the hatchet was missing from in between the handles.

"Fuck…" Dallas swore, just as the doors burst open, allowing a large group of walkers to flood into the hallway, all of them looking intent on killing them.

* * *

**That was quite a long one wasn't it? :P**

**So yeah, here are guys, here comes the climax chapter, the big one. Prepare yourself for the onslaught, time to make or break this story...**

**But you will have to wait until I post that chapter, since it is time for me to sleep -_-zzzzzzzzz**

**Farewell my Bookies of Awesomness :D**

**When we come back, things will be going cray cray O_O**


	48. Chapter 48 - Help Them!

"What is taking that boy so long?" Kenny groaned, still trying to play around with the door handle for the armoury.

"Do you want me to go look for them?" Clementine asked, standing up to walk over to Kenny, who kicked the door in frustration.

Sure thing Clem, take my pistol, just in case," Kenny said, handing her his gun to hold.

"You're kidding right? You can't just let a little girl go out there by herself," Christa exclaimed, walking over to Clementine, moving to take the gun out of her hands.

"No. I can take care of myself now, Dallas showed me. Besides, wouldn't it be better for me to go, rather than one of you guys?" Everyone looked around and nodded their heads, agreeing with her statement.

"I don't just don't want to see a little girl get hurt honey," Christa said, kneeling down in front of her.

"I'll be fine Christa, don't worry, I'm only going down the hall," Clementine reassured her, stepping away with the gun towards the exit.

"Be careful out there .You go find Ben, Dallas and Molly and bring them back here, don't go anywhere else. Got it?" Kenny asked her, receiving a nod.

"I know," Clementine said, turning the knob of the door to exit. Just as she closed the door, she heard a scream down the hall and instantly started running, hoping that it wasn't Dallas, that he wasn't in danger. When she turned the corner, she found Ben, Dallas and Molly, the former watching on in horror as the latter two fought off a very large group of walkers.

"Dallas!' Clementine screamed, pulling out the pistol that Kenny leant her, aiming it at one of the walkers. Molly swung her weapon into the head of another nearby walker and killed it, moving onto the next one, while Dallas struggled with one of the other walkers, trying to get a good grip on it. Breathing in, Clementine fired the gun, killing the walker that was attacking Dallas, freeing it from his grip.

"Come on Dallas, let's go!" Ben shouted, gesturing for Dallas to follow him and Clementine back to the classroom. Dallas began to make his way over to them, but noticed Molly nearby, struggling with one of the walkers. Time seemed to slow down, as he looked between Molly and Ben, a small gap of opportunity to escape disappearing as every second past. He looked to Ben and Clementine, giving both of them an apologetic look, before he turned around and ran to Molly, killing the walker that was attacking her.

"Dallas, no!" Clementine screamed, firing off another shot, killing another walker. Unfortunately, there was far too many, as more and more started to flood out of the doors.

"Ben! Please, get her out of here. Save her, don't ever let her out of your sight!" Dallas shouted, bashing in the skull of another walker.

"No Dallas, please don't make me leave you. I can't lose you too because of another of my stupid mistakes," Ben pleaded, making to run over to help him.

"If you really care about me, really care about my opinion and all that, then do this one last thing for me Ben. Make up for all your fuck ups, and take care of her! And take the battery with you" Dallas yelled, kicking a walker away as he threw the battery over to Ben, who easily caught it. Bowing his head in defeat, he started to run away reluctantly, pulling Clementine behind him.

"No, we can't leave him Ben!" she shouted, trying her best to pull against Ben as she watched Dallas slowly become surrounded by the walkers.

"I'm sorry Clem, we have to go," he said, pulling her away as hard as he could. All she could do was watch as Dallas grabbed Molly by the arm, pulling her away from the fray to run in the opposite direction, as they both disappeared from view. Ben and Clementine ran back into the classroom and burst into the room, slamming the door behind them.

"What the fuck is going on?" Kenny asked, turning around to look at the panting forms of Ben and Clementine.

"Walkers broke through the doors…" Ben started, pausing to catch his breath.

"And both Dallas and Molly got separated from us. They're gone," Clementine finished catching her breath a little quicker. Everyone gasped in shock after hearing what was said, looking over to the open door nearby. Thinking fast, Brie quickly ran over and slammed the door closed, holding it in place.

"That should keep 'em out," Vernon said, walking over to stand with Brie.

"Sure does. But how do we get back out?" Brie questioned frantically, looking around the group.

"You mean, Dallas is gone?" Kenny asked, not looking like he was about to collapse on the spot.

"We don't know where he is. He vanished into the crowd with Molly. Whether they are alive or dead, we don't know," Ben answered, tears coming to his eyes.

"Mother fucker, not him too. I've too many fucking people. We're getting out of here, now. I may have lost that boy, but I won't let his sacrifice be in vain," Kenny exclaimed, moving over to the door to try and kick it down. "Come on damn you."

"Kenny, I need to tell you something," Ben said, moving over to talk to Kenny.

"Son, no offense, but now may not be the best time to tell him," Chuck said, standing in front of Ben, blocking his path to Kenny.

"But this is all my fault Chuck, all of it!" Ben said, his eyes darting around the room as he shuffled backwards frantically.

"What in the hell is he talking about?" Christa questioned, stepping towards Ben suspiciously.

"Not now Ben, wait until we get back to the house," Clementine agreed with Chuck, looking up at Ben, looking like he was surprised that she had figured it out by herself.

"No, don't tell him to stop. I want to know what he is talking about," Christa snapped, moving Clementine out of the way to face Ben, who was looking at Kenny past Chuck.

"Kenny, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault," Ben babbled, his eyes wide with both fear and a hint of regret.

"Kid, this ain't the best time. I may have lost Dallas, but we can't lose Carley either!" Kenny shouted, still trying to bash the door down, as the groans of the walkers outside started to get louder and closer.

"Ben please, don't," Clementine pleaded, taking her hand in his, looking up into his eyes with her big brown ones, hoping she could use them to her advantage when it really mattered.

"I'm sorry Clem, Chuck, but I can't do this anymore, I can't keep lying to him," Ben snapped, looking between the two.

"Fine then son, I hope you're ready to face the consequences," Chuck said, stepping aside to let Ben address Kenny. Taking a deep breath, Ben stepped forward, preparing himself for what he was about to say.

"It's been me all this time. Putting us all in danger, Katjaa and Duck dying…it was all me… It was all me!" With one strong kick, Kenny managed to kick the door in, turning around to face Ben with a confused face.

"What are you trying to say son?" he questioned, becoming a little angry.

"It was me who that deal, the deal with the bandits. I was the one slipping them supplies. I thought I could get them off our backs, get them to leave us alone. Then Dallas found out and took the meds before they could, making them attack. That's when Lilly…and Duck…" Ben trailed off, as it dawned on Kenny. In a sudden fit of rage, he jumped at Ben, having to be restrained by Chuck and Vernon before he tried to kill him.

"Kenny please, don't hurt Ben," Clementine said, standing in front of him to defend him.

"He might have done some bad things, but you have to leave him alone for now, for Dallas' sake and for this group's sake," Chuck agreed, trying his best to hold the man back.

"You little mother fucking pissant! I will fucking kill you, you are dead to me, you hear? Fucking dead! My wife and my child are both dead, because you got them killed!" Kenny screamed, punching and kicking the air as his rage rose.

"Kenny, please. Dallas asked him to take care of me, it was his last wish. If you hurt him, you'll be going against Dallas' wishes. Please," Clementine begged, taking Ben by the hand. Kenny stopped thrashing about a slumped down where he was standing, utterly defeated.

"If this fucker thinks he's getting on the boat with us, after what he did, you can think again, I won't let it happen!" Kenny shouted, glaring at Ben.

"He was only trying to help Kenny, he didn't mean to hurt anyone," Clementine said, trying to calm Kenny down.

"I don't care if he was trying to cure world hunger, I just told you how it is going to be little lady, so stay out of it," Kenny snapped, scaring Clementine a little.

"She's only a girl Kenny, go easy on her," Christa said, moving over to stand with her.

"You know what, its time ya'll knew. That boat we want to fix, it's not big enough for all of us. It only has room for five people. We need to choose someone behind, so why not start with this piece of fucking shit right here," Kenny growled. Clementine took the time to look up at Ben, who seemed almost void of any emotion, not even reacting to Kenny's words.

"Can we please worry about this later, we don't exactly have time for this," Chuck pointed out, the groans of the walkers outside becoming louder as the sound of the bell was louder with the nearby armoury door open.

"No, we do this right now Chuck, so get ready to give your opinion, because I vote we leave him here," Kenny snarled, his glare intensifying on Ben.

"Well, if we are really doing this right now, then I vote he stays as well. I'm sorry Ben, but if you have a past of putting people in danger, then I don't want to be in a group with you," Christa said, looking up at Ben.

"I'm abstaining from this, this is stupid," Chuck said, moving away to look out the window.

"Christa, you have to give this kid the benefit of the doubt. Yeah he made some mistakes, but his heart was in the right place. I vote he stays," Omid said, moving over to stand beside Ben, receiving a scowl from his girlfriend.

"You barely even know this kid, and you're siding with him?" Christa questioned, stepping towards her boyfriend.

"Yes Christa, I am," Omid snapped, standing up to her.

"Can you please stop arguing? Can't I have a vote?" Clementine asked, looking up at all the adults surrounding her.

"Of course you do hon, go ahead," Chuck said, turning around to face the little girl.

"I understand that Dallas is missing now, that we don't know where he is. But I know he's out there, I know he's alive. Until he gets back, he told Ben to take care of me, to make up for this. So, I vote that Ben stays," Clementine said, looking up at the others.

"On second thought, I think I'm going to abstain from this," Christa said, moving to stand with Omid.

'What about us, don't we get to-" Brie began to say, before the glass of the door was shattered, a walker's arm pushing through to grab her. She screamed as the door was pulled open, allowing some walkers to enter and start biting into her chest and shoulder. She looked down at her shoulder in shock, as more walker started to pile in, ripping open her stomach with their teeth to pull her intestines right out.

"Brie!" Vernon screamed, watching in horror as his friend's flesh was ripped apart by gnashing teeth.

"Can we get going now?" Omid asked, backing away with Christa to the nearby door.

"Sounds like a good idea. Vernon, we had better get going, I'm sorry," Chuck said, moving over to pull Vernon away. The group ran out the door as fast as they could, escaping from the onslaught of walkers making their way into the room. Once everyone had made it through the door, Chuck slammed the door behind them, trying to get it to close properly, but it just wouldn't stick.

"Just fucking great," Kenny groaned, looking at the empty armoury.

"I only have a few rounds left," Christa said, loading her gun up, as Omid did the same beside her.

"Why isn't the door closed?" Kenny asked Chuck, looking at the door dangling open behind him.

"I can't, you busted the lock when you knocked the damn door down," Chuck replied, pulling his shovel off of his back.

"Well isn't that just fucking great? Come on people, let's go down the stairs, there has to be a way out down there," Kenny said, leading the group down the stairs, Chuck and Clementine right behind him. Once they reached the bottom, Kenny moved right over to the nearby door and threw it open, only to be greeted with a large group of walkers, being momentarily stunned.

"Shut the damn door for goodness sake!" Chuck shouted, slamming the door.

"That door ain't gonna hold people, back up the stairs, right now!" Kenny yelled, making everyone turn around and run up the stairs. Noticing a shotgun nearby, Clementine ran over to it quickly ran over to it and hefted it up, moving over to Kenny.

"Use this," she said, handing it over to him to use.

"Thanks darlin', now head up with Chuck, we need to go," Kenny exclaimed, pushing Clementine up the stairs after Chuck. Pulling out her gun, Clementine ran up the stairs after the rest of the group, watching as Kenny began to fire at the walkers entering through the now busted door, as he slowly backed up the stairs. Looking up, Clementine saw a walkers standing in their way and started to fire her gun with everyone else, wanting to help them out as much as she could. Chuck swung his shovel at walkers when they got to close, Christa and Omid fired their guns, and Ben swung his hatchet, the group moving like a well-oiled machine as they cleared the path up to the top. When they were about halfway up, Clementine looked back down the stairs, to see that one of the steps had broken underneath Kenny, trapping him on his way up.

"Kenny!" she shouted, running back down to help him, with Chuck close behind. Kenny fired at one of the walkers that got to close and tried to pull his leg out of the stairs, not noticing the walker right behind it. Just as it was about to reach him, Clementine fired her gun, killing it instantly, as it dropped down right in front of Kenny. While Kenny focused on freeing himself, Clementine fired off a few more rounds and Chuck used his shovel, the pair of them holding of the walkers easily. Once Kenny was free, the three of them raced up the stairs, not bothering to look back as they went. More walkers had flooded in through the classroom while Kenny was trying to free himself, a large group of them blocking their path. Standing in front of Clementine as they went, Chuck used his shovel to clear the path, while Kenny used a hack saw he picked up back at the house, easily mowing down the walkers as they slowly made their way up, Clementine picking off any walkers that got to close behind them. They soon reached the top where everyone was waiting, all of them waiting by the window. Vernon looked outside into the distance, something catching his attention.

"Is there any way to get out of here?" Kenny asked, moving up beside Christa.

"The window here leads out to the roof, we might be able to find our way down from there," Christa answered, pointing to the window Vernon was currently looking out of.

"You folks didn't into Savannah from the railroad by chance did you?" he asked, looking out to said railroad.

"Yeah, we did. Why?" Kenny asked, confused as to why he would care. After a couple of seconds he shook his head, turning around to look at the group.

"Never mind. I can see the sewer that we came in from not far from here. I think going this way will work," he said, nodding to the window.

"Well, why are standing around? Let's go!" Kenny exclaimed, pushing people towards the ladder that led out the window. Vernon went out first and was closely followed by Ben, with Kenny not far behind. As Clementine went to go over as well, she heard a scream, turning around to find that Christa had been grabbed by a walker, who was handing from the bell that had started ringing again.

"Christa!" Omid shouted, running to go help her.

"Omid, wait!" Clementine shouted, grabbing him by the sleeve to stop him.

"I'm sorry Clementine, I have to help her," Omid said, trying to pull out of her firm grip.

"Please don't go, I don't want to lose anyone else," she cried, tears streaming down her face.

"When you see Dallas again, tell him I thought he was a good man," Omid said, pulling out of Clementine's grip to move towards the edge. He reached out to help Christa and managed to grab her hand, pulling her over to him.

"I'm sorry," she said, tears streaming down her face.

"Don't worry babe. I could never leave you, we've been through too much," he told her, pushing off from the edge. With all the wait that was on the rope supporting the walker, the rope snapped, bringing the walker, Omid and Christa falling down to the ground, the latter two screaming all the way down as they held each other close, spending their last moments together.

"No!" Clementine screamed, running over to the edge to look down.

"Sorry miss, but we need to go," Chuck said, grabbing her around the waist to pick her up, pulling her squirming form towards the window.

"NO!' she screamed again, trying to wiggled out of his grasp but failing. After one last glance at the ringing bell, as Chuck brought Clementine down the ladder, away from Crawford, away from the burial place of two of Clementine's friends, and possible two more.

"Please stay lucky Dallas," Clementine whispered between sobs as she went down the ladder, not knowing what she was going to do without him.

* * *

**...there we go. There is our next early character deaths...**

**Can't wait to here your thoughts on this :P So many, so many :c**

**I'll let this one hand in the air for a while before I post the next one, just to let it sink in ^_^**

**There is only three more chapters until the end of the episode, so hope you guys are ready for it :)**

**Farewell my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	49. Chapter 49 - Very Little Hope

"So, that was an adventure," Molly said, as both her and Dallas walked down the streets of Crawford, scanning the area for walkers as they went.

"I guess you could say that," he chuckled, staring off into the distance worriedly.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they're fine," Molly reassured him with a smile, wrapping an arm around his shoulders playfully.

"I really hope so. If Ben let's anything happen to Clem, I swear to go I will beat him," Dallas snarled, instantly regretting the comment, knowing that Ben would never let that happen.

"As I just said, don't worry. The kid may be a bit of an idiot, but his hearts in the right place. I mean, come on, that guy so has a crush on you," Molly joked, moving ahead of him up the street.

"You did not just say that. He does not, that would be weird, we're friends, that's all," Dallas scoffed, running to catch up to her.

"It is so obvious that he likes you. Your opinion matters to him. He couldn't bear to lose you like he lost everyone else. If he doesn't like you, he takes friendship way to seriously," Molly said, shaking her head at the thought.

"I guess I never really thought about it like that. No one's ever had a crush on me, let alone another guy. It's always been me asking out the girls," Dallas admitted, getting a laugh out of Molly.

"A lady killer like you? I'm surprised you didn't have all the screaming teenage girls just falling at your feet," she giggled, laughing even more at the face he made.

"Ha, ha, very funny. Seriously though, I was rejected by so many girls, it isn't even funny. The only girl to ever accept me was my first and only ever girlfriend, Sandra," he told her, thinking back to his old girlfriend.

"Where is she now?" Molly asked, noticing Dallas sad look, knowing she wasn't going to like the answer.

"She's dead, I had to kill her, after she turned," Dallas explained, his eyes beginning to water up.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up," Molly apologised. The awkward silence that followed didn't hang very well, the two of them walking in silence as they weaved through the streets.

"I remember the day we met like it was yesterday. I was in the library, I was in my sophomore year at the time, she was a junior. I was studying for a history final at the time, sitting alone at one of the tables. The next thing I know, someone slams their books on the other side of the table, scraping the hair against the floor to sit down. Looking up, I saw one of the prettiest girls I had ever seen. It was Sandra, obviously. She started going on to me about how horrible her day was, how her parents were so frustrating, how she was worried about school. She was talking to me, a complete stranger, about her troubled life. After she apologised for unloading on me, she introduced herself and I did the same, and we started talking. When we were walking out, she asked if I would be coming back the next day. I told her was. So, every time I went to the library, she was there waiting for me, waiting to talk to me again," he told her, smiling at the memory.

"When did you guys start dating?" Molly asked, hoping to keep his mind off of her death by doing so.

"It wasn't for another two months after we met that I finally got up the courage to ask her out. You can imagine my surprise when she said yes. I wasn't ready for her to say yes, so I didn't actually know what we were going to do. Luckily, she was planning to ask me out if I hadn't first anyway, so she already knew where she wanted to go. So, the next night, I walked down to the park to meet her, and found that she had set up a picnic for two, picnic blanket, basket and all. We spent the night, drinking from a bottle of champagne she stole from her dad's alcohol cabinet. The time just seemed to fly by, and before we knew it, the night was over. I walked her home, all the way up to her doorstep, saying goodbye, walking away to go home. Before I could get very far however, she pulled me back and kissed me, quickly rushing inside before I could react. From that day forward, we started seeing a lot more of each other, and not long after that, we were officially dating. The rest is history," he finished, shedding tears of nostalgia now rather than sadness.

"Sounds nice," Molly commented, tearing up a little herself.

"How about you? You ever have a boyfriend?" Dallas asked, wiping tears from his eyes.

"I've had some, but they never lasted very wrong, I guess I've been hurt to many times to trust men all that much. Logan was the last man I was with, and even then I only did that for my sister. Maybe one day, when I meet a guy that's worthwhile, maybe I'll think about dating again. Who knows," she answered, turning to look at her companion.

"You'll find someone, I'm sure of it. Any decent guy out there would be lucky to have you," Dallas told her with a smile, as she nudged him in the side.

"Yeah sure. I'll leave this city to go on a grand romantic adventure to find the man of my dreams. If I had a man of my dreams," Molly joked. The two of them laughed as they walked, but grew quiet when they realised they were still out in the open.

"You know there isn't enough room for all of us to fit on that boat right?" Dallas asked, turning to look at his friend.

"I figured it out a while ago. If that is the case, then I have no need to stick around I guess. Once we get you back to your group, I will say my goodbyes and be on my way," Molly told him, much to Dallas' disappointment.

"You're going to leave?" he asked, having grown quite fond of her since their first meeting.

"If I'm not wanted, and there is no space on the boat, then what point is there in staying? It would be easier on everyone and you know it," she replied, mindlessly poking Hilda as she spoke.

"You don't have to leave you know, you could stay. We could try and find another boat perhaps, or maybe find some other way to stay together, we don't have to part ways so suddenly," Dallas told her, trying to think of ways to keep such a useful and friendly person in the group.

"I've decided Dallas, that is my final word on the matter. Unless there is some life or death situation waiting for us when we get back to the house, I will be going back to being a lone wolf," she said, ending that conversation. After they had walked for another couple of minutes, Dallas could swear that he could hear groaning nearby, wondering what it could be.

"So, do you think everyone else made it back to the house okay?" Dallas asked, noticing some movement nearby.

"I'm sure they are waiting back at the house for our return," Molly said, following his gaze. Nearby, a walker appeared from the far street, shortly being followed by more, appearing one by one, one after the other. Not taking a moment to hesitate, the two started to run as fast as they could down the street, hoping to escape the large amount of walkers making their way towards them.

"I really hope the others are having more luck than us," Dallas shouted, as the pair disappeared around a corner, heading back to their home base.

* * *

**Sorry for the filler chapter guys, just wanted to make sure you knew I hadn't killed them...yet...**

**And I wanted to add in that little bit to have a feels sesh, so yeah woo :P**

**Two chapters left in the episode, Episode 5 Chapters are on the way :3**

**Which means Season 2 stuff is also on the way ^_^**

**Anywho, farewell my Bookies of Awesomeness**


	50. Chapter 50 - If Things Were Different

What was left of the group that went to Crawford soon made it back to the house, all of them walking inside in single file, each and every one of them as grim as the next. The only one who seemed to have any energy at all was Kenny, who was pushing Vernon along to the stairs, getting to move up them quickly.

"Come on, we have to get up to Lee and Carley," he urged, practically shoving Vernon up the stairs. Thy soon made it to the room Carley was resting in and went inside, only to find Lee kneeling down next to the bed, staring down at an unconscious body.

"Is she…?" Ben asked from behind Kenny, having followed them upstairs along with Clementine.

"I don't know," Vernon replied, moving over to stand beside Lee, looking down at Carley.

"Clem, stay back, just in case," Kenny ordered, only to have her run into the room to stand with Lee and Vernon.

"This is all my fault. If I had taken better care of you, if I hadn't let you go up to help, you never would've gotten hurt. I'm so sorry," Lee said, holding Carley's hand close to his face, kissing the back of it gently.

"Lee, you need to get away from her now, who knows if she'll come back," Vernon warned him, trying to pull Lee away from Carley. Before Lee had a chance to comply, Carley shot up in her bed and grasped for air, groaning in pain as she did so. Everyone watched in horror, hoping beyond hope that she was not truly dead. She looked around the room and saw her friends standing nearby, a smile coming to her face.

"So, you guys are back then?" she asked, as a relieved smile came to Lee's face.

"We got you medicine Carley, you're going to be okay," Clementine said happily, moving closer to the bed to stand beside Lee.

"Thank god, my leg is hurting like a bitch," Carley joked, cringing when she accidentally moved her leg.

"We're just all glad you're okay," Lee said, holding her hand tightly in his own.

"So, why do you guys all look so glum? Where's the rest of the crew?" Carley asked, looking up at the depressed faces of Kenny and Ben.

"Chuck is downstairs, but that's it, there's no one else," Ben said sadly, tears falling from his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Lee asked, looking to Kenny for confirmation.

"When we were trying to escape, Christa got grabbed by one of the walkers and Omid tried to save her. The three fell to their deaths before anyone could do anything," Kenny answered, staring down at the bed.

"What about Dallas? Molly?" Lee asked standing up from the side of the bed.

"They're gone. They get over run and vanished," Clementine replied, getting Lee to look down at her as tears started falling from her own eyes.

"Oh god," Carley whispered, placing her hands over her mouth in shock.

"I lost him Lee, he's gone," Clementine sobbed, her tears coming in stronger force.

"It's okay, it's going to be okay," he crooned, kneeling down again to hold her close, trying his best to comfort her the way Dallas always did. Looking up, Clementine noticed Ben nearby, his face having lost all of its emotion, not looking like he could continue on.

"Ben…" Clementine trailed off, pulling away from Lee to run over and hug Ben, somehow knowing that he need comfort just as much as she did. Ben was taken by surprise at first, not sure what to do, but after a couple of seconds he knelt down and let her hug him, both of them giving each other comfort.

"What in the hell happened back there?" Carley questioned, once Ben stood back up from hugging Clementine, who had walked out of the room to be by herself.

"Someone else can fill you in, I have to go work on the boat," Kenny replied, moving out of the room to go find the fuel and battery he needed to fix the boat. While everyone was talking Vernon had moved over to fix Carley's leg, having wrapped her wound in bandages and giving her antibiotics, satisfied with how her leg looked.

"With a little bit of luck, this leg of yours should start feeling a lot better soon. I'll stay for another couple of hours, just to make sure she turns out okay," he told Lee, who had gone back to kneeling next to Carley.

"Thanks doc," Carley said, lying her head back down from exhaustion.

"Yes, thank you so much Vernon, it means the world," Lee agreed, smiling up at the man.

"It's my pleasure. Would you mind if we spoke in private?" Vernon asked, motioning towards the door.

"Whatever you have to say you can say here, I don't mind Carley hearing," Lee said, looking down at his sleeping girlfriend.

"Okay then, I guess that's fine," Vernon said, moving over to sit on the bed.

"I didn't see Brie with you. I take it she didn't make it?" Lee asked, giving Vernon an apologetic look.

"That doesn't matter, what matters is where this group is heading. Now that you have lost three of your members, not including Molly, your group dynamics have dropped very low. You and Dallas were the leaders from what I could see, but now that Dallas is gone, I don't see this group surviving much longer," Vernon explained, sounding quite serious.

"What are you trying to say?" Lee asked, not understanding what he meant.

"You honestly think that putting your people on a boat is going to solve anything? I can tell you care about these people, I really do, but you won't be able to protect them forever, not at this rate," Vernon continued, ignoring Lee's words.

"Can you get to the point?" Lee snapped.

"With Dallas gone, you are the closest thing that girl has to a guardian anymore. So I am asking you, I'm making you an offer you can't refuse. I'll take her back with me, back to my people. We're well supplied with food and water and now medicine. We're well hidden, and a lot of us have had kids before, and with Crawford gone, we don't have to fear them anymore. I know she'll be safe with us, safer than if she goes on that boat with you, that's why I-" Before Vernon could finish, Lee put his hand up to stop him talking wanting to put his own word in.

"I'm going to give you one chance to walk out of this house and not come back, understand?" Lee asked, glaring at the man.

"I know you think you're doing what's best for the girl, now that he guardian is gone. If you were the girl's father, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now, but you're not. So the truth stands that she would be safer with us, than with you," Vernon continued, meeting Lee's gaze evenly. Not missing a beat, Lee swung his fist into Vernon's jaw, knocking him to the ground, right off the bed. It took Carley grabbing his arm to stop him from doing it again, her touching his shoulder stopping the savage beast.

"Dallas is still alive, I know it. He would never forgive me if I just gave her away to you, ever. Besides, I would prefer to take care of her myself if Dallas is no longer with us, rather than leave her with a group of strangers. Get the fuck out of this house right now," Lee exclaimed, bearing down on the man.

"Fine, that's your decision. But if that girl dies, I hope you feel responsible for it," Vernon said getting to his feet to exit the room. As he was leaving, Vernon passed by Clementine, who had been listening to the entire conversation, wanting to know what was going on. With one last smile, he went down the stairs, going to the kitchen to exit the house, never to return again. It wasn't long after that Clementine had moved into the study to sit on the window seat, looking out the window to wait for Dallas' return. She heard the door open behind her, knowing that it was more than likely Lee coming to talk to her.

"Hey Clem," he said, moving over to sit with her.

"Kenny's working on the boat," she told, pointing down to where Kenny scratching his head in confusion, trying to figure out what to do.

"I know," he said, giving her a small smile.

"What are we going to do now? When Dallas gets back and Kenny fixes the boat? Where will we go?" she asked, turning around to face him.

"Anywhere but here, someplace better," he replied, probably not sure himself where they would be heading next.

"I think Ben's sad. He thinks that Dallas won't be coming back, that he will never be able to talk to him again. I know he's wrong, but what if he isn't, what if Dallas never comes back?" Clementine asked, her big brown eyes staring at Lee, never blinking.

"You just need to give him a bit of time. If Dallas comes back, I'm sure he'll go back to being his usual self, you'll see," he reassured her, brightening her mood a little.

"If Dallas hasn't come back by the time the boat is fixed, will we have time to find Dallas? Or to find my parents? We can't leave without them okay?" Clementine asked, hoping she would like his answer. From the way his face changed when she asked her questions, she knew she wasn't going to like what he was about to say.

"I'd like to Clem, I really would. I don't want to leave Dallas behind, and I want to help find your parents. But we can't stay here any longer, it's just not safe anymore," Lee answered truthfully. Not liking what he had said, Clementine began to cry, small tears falling from her hurt brown eyes, as she twisted around to lie down, not wanting to look at Lee at the moment. She laid there for another couple of minutes before she heard the door nearby close, turning around to find that Lee left, probably going to go and be with Carley. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she sat up and stared down at her walkie talkie, willing for some noise to escape, for someone to start talking to her. The next thing she knew, static stared blaring out, and before long, a voice came through.

"Hey Clementine, it's me. Listen, I think it's time we met, why don't you come out to the yard when everyone goes to sleep, then we can talk," the voice said .Clementine picked up the walkie talkie and went to answer, but then remembered that Dallas and everyone else kept saying he was a bad man, and decided against replying, putting the walkie talkie back down.

"By the way, I know where Dallas is."

* * *

**One more chapter guys, then the grand finale of season one will be up and running, and there will be death. Death everywhere...**

**Hope you are all getting excited and scared, because you should be :P**

**Hopefully you liked this chapter, I thought it was a pretty good lead up, showing Clem's thought a little ^_^**

**Anywho, farewell for now my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	51. Chapter 51 - Honey, I'm Home

"We're almost there." After escaping from the large group of walkers back in the streets of Crawford, Molly and Dallas had managed to find the entrance to the sewers they used to get into Crawford, the pair of them climbing inside to make their way back to the house. After a couple of hours of trying to figure out where they were going, they soon made it back out to the street, ready to make their way back to the house, and here they were, walking up to the gate.

"I really hope everyone made it back in one piece," Dallas commented, looking up at the large house before him.

'As I was saying before, I'm sure everyone made it out. We'll just be the last one's back. You'll be able to walk through that back door, stand in the kitchen and call out 'Honey, I'm home!" and everyone will come running, trust me," Molly reassured him with a smile. Nodding his head in agreement, they soon reached the gate that led into the yard, getting ready to push it when he noticed Lee jumping over the fence, something in his hands.

"I wonder where he's going," Dallas said, watching Lee make his way down the street.

"No clue. Why don't we walk around and surprise him?" Molly suggested. Smiling in agreement, Dallas turned back around and headed out of the alley at the side of the house back out onto the street, turning the corner to head down to meet Lee. Just as they were about to turn the corner, they heard Lee scream, making them look at each other before pulling out their weapons to run around the corner to see what was happening.

"Lee?" Dallas shouted rounding the corner to find Lee, holding Clementine's hat in one hand, while his other hand held onto his wrist.

"Dallas?" Turning around, Dallas noticed Lee's arm, freezing in place at what he saw. On Lee's wrist, with blood seeping from it, was a bite. A walker bite.

"No, fuck no, no no no," Dallas babbled, stumbling backwards a little.

"Lee? You out here?" Carley called nearby, pushing open the gate for all the group to exit, having not noticed Dallas or Molly yet.

"This can't be happening, this just can't," Dallas said, running over to check Lee's arm, just in case. Lee was at a loss for words as he looked between his bite and Dallas, not sure which one he should be more shocked to see.

"What are you doing out here Lee? Is someone with you?" Carley asked nearby. Dallas and Molly turned around to face him, the group approaching them all stopping in their tracks when they realised who it was.

"Dallas!" Ben exclaimed, running right at him and practically tackling him into a hug, not looking like he would be letting go anytime soon.

"Thank god you guys are okay, we were thinking the worse," Carley said, moving quickly up to him, alongside Chuck and Kenny.

"What's wrong?" Kenny asked when no one replied after a couple of seconds, looking to Lee for an answer. Sighing, Lee stuck out his arm for all to see, everyone gasping in horror at seeing the bite.

"Oh god, please no, please don't let this be happening right now, please," Carley begged, running into Lee's arms to hug him as tightly as Ben was holding Dallas right now.

"Could you let go Ben?" Dallas asked, pulling away from the teen.

"Sorry, I'm just happy to see you," Ben smiled grimly, not wanting to seem to happy considering what happened to Lee.

"What are we gonna do?" Kenny asked, looking down at Lee's bite still.

"We have to save Clementine, she's been taken," Lee replied.

"She what?" Dallas asked, gobsmacked by what he had just said.

"I woke up to find she had left her room, so I came down here to find her, but only found her hat and her radio. That's all there was," Lee explained, looking ashamed of himself.

"Who would do a thing like that to a little girl?" Molly growled, looking pissed off.

"Some crazy fucker. Do you know who it was?" Kenny questioned, looking up to meet Lee's eyes.

"I honestly don't know. The only person I can think of is Vernon. He came to me last night, offering to take Clementine off my hands, since he thought Dallas was dead. Was saying she would be better off," Lee explained, his face still shameful.

"That son of a bitch. When I get my hands on him, he's going to wish he died back at Crawford," Dallas snarled, looking just about ready to punch someone.

"Don't worry, wherever she is, we'll find her," Lee reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Dallas stepped away from the group to address them together, knowing what need to be done.

"Clem might not have much time left. Wherever that sicko is, he has her, he has my whole world. We will have a much better chance of finding her, if we all work together. Who's with me?" Dallas asked, moving his eyes over the group.

"I'm in. I let her get caught, I let her get taken away, even after you asked me to take care of her. I have to make up for it now, make it up to you," Ben said instantly, moving over to stand beside Dallas.

"Lee and I need to stay here. He's in no condition to be going anywhere, and my leg still isn't fully healed. I'll try to find someone to help him, plus we can watch the boat while you're gone," Carley suggested, nodding to the nearby shed, Lee nodding his own head in agreement.

"You know I'll help you son, I always will. You, Lee, Carley and Clem are the only family I have left. I'd be an idiot if I didn't help you out now," Kenny said, moving over to stand beside Dallas as well.

"I'll help you too son. You saved my life when we arrived in this hell hole. I'll be damned if I don't help you save that little girl," Chuck said, walking over to stand beside Kenny. The only person who had yet to say anything was Molly, who was just standing nearby, watching the conversation intently.

"What about you Molly? Will you help me find her?" Dallas asked her, his eyes almost pleading her to accept.

"I just know that if I go with you, I'll never want to leave, never want to go back to being a lone wolf. I don't know if I can handle that," she replied, looking down the empty street.

"Please, don't leave. I want you to stay, we all need you to stay. Help me." Molly turned back to look at the desperate Dallas, finally coming to a decision .

"Looks like I'm an official part of this group I supposed," she sighed, moving over to stand beside Ben, ready to go.

"We'll wait in the house for your return. When you guys get back, we can figure out what our next step will be," Carley said, staying as close to Lee as she could. Nodding his head, Dallas walked up to Lee and stuck out his hand to him. Understanding, Lee handed over Clementine's hat, which Dallas readjusted before putting it on his head, wearing it with pride.

"Good luck," Lee said, smiling at him, as he handed the radio over as well.

"Luck has nothing to do with it," Dallas told him, walking past him and Carley, with his small group in tow, the five of them setting off to find Clementine, to find his girl. After about an hour or so of walking through the streets and through the sewers, Dallas and the group soon found the hole to led into Vernon's hideout, the five of them stepping through into the storage closet.

"Ready?" Molly asked, slipping Hilda off of her belt. Ben pulled out his hatchet from the school and nodded his head, ready to go. Chuck slipped the shovel off of his back and held it in position, ready to go. Kenny pulled out his shotgun from Crawford and stood with it aimed at the door, ready to go. Dallas pulled his crossbow off of his back and aimed it at the door, ready to go.

"Let's do this." The group of five walked over to the door and Dallas swung it open, to reveal a bare and empty room with none of the cancer survivor group occupying it.

"What the fuck?" Kenny swore, stepping into the room with the rest of the group.

"Where's Vernon? Where's the rest of his so called group?" Molly asked, moving around the room to examine it closely.

"Maybe they left?" Ben suggested, looking into the cremation chambers.

"It's the only plausible explanation," Chuck agreed, nodding his head at the teen.

"But where did they go?" Dallas asked, putting his crossbow back on his back as everyone else put their own weapons away.

"This city is so big, who knows where they could've gone," Molly sighed, kicking in a nearby cabinet, managing top break the door down.

"I'll never find her now," Dallas whispered, leaning down on one of the benches in defeat.

"Don't worry Dallas, we'll find her," Ben reassured him, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I just don't…" Dallas began to say, before the sound of a loud groaning cut him off. Looking up, he saw walkers walking past the window, a whole lot of sets of legs moving right past.

"How many are there?" Kenny questioned, staring up at the windows.

"Plenty," Chuck answered staring up at the walkers passing by. To make matter worse, groaning could be heard coming through the door thy came through, which meant there was a whole lot of walkers coming their way through the sewers.

"Lee?" A voice said, cutting through everyone's revere. Picking up the walkie talkie, Dallas quickly pressed and held the button on the side down, moving it up to his mouth.

"Clementine, it's me, Dallas. Are you all right? Where are you?"" Dallas asked quickly, as everyone looked on hopefully.

"Vernon you son of a bitch!" Kenny shouted, standing next to Dallas as everyone else moved over to join him.

"Hello Dallas, Kenny," a voice said, sounding like the voice of the man that had been taunting them since they arrived in Savannah.

"Who is this?" Dallas asked calmly, hoping to get some answers out of the man.

"It isn't Vernon, it you're thinking the same thing Kenny is. Plus, you should really be watching your tone right now," the voice answered.

"Please, just don't hurt her," Dallas begged, hoping beyond hope that he wouldn't touch her.

"Clementine will be fine, don't worry. But if I were you Dallas, I'd be choosing my next words very carefully." Dallas wasn't sure how to respond as he brought the walkie talkie to his mouth, pressing the button on the side as he readied himself to answer the asshole that stole Clementine from him.

* * *

**There you have it folks, the final chapter of episode 4 ^_^**

**Not long until this story will be finished, that's so sad :c**

**But never fear, as I said, Season 2 stuff shall be on the way after that, and hopefully, my Mass Effect fanfiction with it. Fingers Crossed ^_^**

**Anywho, I shall see you all at the next chapter, farewell my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	52. Chapter 52 - Overrun

"Clementine will be fine, don't worry. But if I were you Dallas, I'd be choosing my next words very carefully." Dallas stared down at the walkie talkie and pressed the button on the side, finally answering the man.

"What do you want from me? What did I do to you? Whatever it is you want, I can do it for you, or get it for you. Please, just let her go," Dallas begged, not want to lose her after all this time.

"I want you and your people to never be able to hurt anyone ever again. This isn't a kidnapping, its revenge, its justice," the voice told him.

"What are you trying to say?" Dallas asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"This is a rescue," the voice replied. Before Dallas could even think about responding, Kenny ripped the walkie talkie out of his hands and pressed the button on the side, ready to talk.

"Now you listen here you son of a bitch. You are going to give that little girl back to us, or so help me I will beat the livin' hell out of you!" Kenny shouted into it, growing angry. When the voice didn't respond, Kenny handed it back with a sigh, shaking his head apologetically. Dallas took it back and stared down at it once more, closing his eyes in prayer.

"Please Clem, be safe," he whispered, before hooking the walkie talkie onto his belt.

"Now what?" Ben asked, receiving silence as his reply. Before anyone knew what was going on, the groans of walkers could be heard closer than before, coming from the sewers. Everyone turned around to see walkers piling out of the exit, stumbling towards the door one by one, hungry for human flesh. Chuck quickly ran over to slam the door as everyone else ran over to cover the door, their weapons raised.

"Go find us a way out of here, we'll cover the door," Molly shouted over to Dallas, Hilda in hand. Nodding his head, Dallas began to look around, wondering how they could escape this place. His eyes landed on the doors of a nearby elevator, his eyes lighting up. He quickly ran up the nearby ramp to reach the elevator, hoping to god that he would be able to open the door. Unfortunately, he was strong enough to open it up, only managing to open it a crack before he had to let go. Wondering how he was going to get this open, he went back down the ramp and moved over to the nearby counter, rummaging through the empty cabinets to find something to help. Upon opening the second cabinet, he found something inside, but wasn't quite sure what it was, thinking it looked like a car jack or something as he picked it up.

"That's a rib spreader if you were wondering son. Should do wonders on that elevator I can see you're trying to open," Chuck called over, his shovel in his hands. Getting the idea, he ran back up the ramp with the rib spreader right up to the elevator, sticking the it in between either side. Once it was placed inside, he began to crank the handle, slowly opening the elevator, until the gap was wide enough for people to fit through.

"Come on guys, it's open! Let's get out of here!" Dallas shouted down, waiting by the door for his friends to come up. One by one each of them crouched under the rib spreader to escape, easily making it to the other side without any hassle. Just as Dallas was making his way through as the last person, he heard the door nearby fall off its hinges, allowing the walkers outside to start flooding into the room.

"Let's get moving before those things reach us," Kenny said, running over to the nearby ladder to start climbing it, the rest of the group not far behind him. The group slowly made their way up the ladder, taking it slow and steady so as to not miss any of the rungs as they moved up.

"Careful everyone, one wrong step and you'll be fallin' to your death," Kenny called down, gesturing to the ground. Everyone looked down to see that the walkers had started to pile into the elevator shaft, their arms reaching up to the group. Trying to ignore the groaning below him, Dallas continued up the ladder with the rest of the group, making slowly progress as they went. They soon passed by an open elevator door, looking inside to find a shit load of walkers roaming around, not taking any notice of them. Deciding it would be best to keep moving, they kept going up the ladder, Kenny finally reaching the top first, climbing through to get out. Soon, everyone had made it out onto the roof, moving over to stand with Kenny as he looked out onto the city.

"Well shit," Chuck said, as everyone nodded their heads at his statement. Looking down at the street, all they could see was walker after walker, flooding the streets to bursting point.

"Now how are we going to get back to the house?" Ben asked, looking down at the walkers below.

"There has to be some way we could divert their attention, but I don't know how we can do that from up here," Kenny pointed out, scratching his chin in thought.

"We could try and find a way around them, there's bound to be other streets nearby," Dallas suggested, looking around at the other streets.

"Wouldn't work, we have to get past them before we figure out how to get back to the house," Chuck told him, crossing his arms in frustration.

"We could always use my method," Molly said, walking over to the other side of the roof. Everyone followed her gaze and saw a bell tower nearby, only a rooftop away.

"Yeah, but how do we get over there?" Dallas asked, noticing that the belltower was a little higher than the roof.

"If we could find a ladder, one of us could probably climb across, ring the bell and come back. Then we can escape down the fire escape over there," Molly answered, pointing over to the far side of the roof.

"Well then, I guess we better find a ladder." Everyone moved off to their own parts of the hospital to stand by and wait for Dallas to find a ladder, looking down at the chaos below them. Deciding he should check to see how everything was, Dallas walked over to Molly first, since she was standing closest to where he was.

"Hey Molly, how you handling things?" he asked, once he had reached her.

"Better than you would expect I guess. I still can't believe I broke my one rule thought," she told him, shaking her head.

"And that is?" he asked, wondering what rule she could possibly need.

"Avoid groups. They only lead to disaster. But, I guess I'm here now, so I'm in for the long haul, all the way," she answered with a smile.

"Awesome. I better talk to everyone else quickly, then I can go find that ladder," he said, nodding his head to her as he walked away. Next, we walked over to Kenny, who was leaning against the wall of the hospital, looking quite down on himself.

"Hey Dallas. Fun day we're having isn't it?" Kenny asked when he noticed Dallas approaching.

"It sure is," Dallas agreed, wondering what was on Kenny's mind. "Are you okay? You just seem a little out of it at the moment."

"I thought that we lost you back there, that you died. Clem was heartbroken, Ben lost all emotion and Lee was beside himself with grief," Kenny replied, avoiding his gaze.

"And you?" Dallas asked, giving him a hard look, which he finally met.

"You're my family son. I may have lost my real family, my blood, but you're still alive. You're like the level headed son that I always dreamed of having," Kenny told him, a few stray tears falling from his eyes.

"Well you won't lose me again, I promise," Dallas reassured him, placing his hand on his shoulder.

"I know, I know. I won't let anything happen to you, even if it's the last thing I ever do," Kenny said, pulling Dallas into a tight hug. When he finally let go, Dallas walked away to go talk to Chuck, who was sitting on the edge of the roof, looking up at the sky.

"How you doing over here?" Dallas asked, sitting beside the older man.

"As well as expected, considering the situation were in," Chuck admitted, moving his gaze down to Dallas.

"On the plus side, things could be worse," Dallas pointed out, trying to be optimistic.

"Lee has been bitten, your girl has been kidnapped and those things are flooding the streets. And you still think things could get worse?" Chuck questioned, giving Dallas a sideways glance.

"Yeah, okay I guess things are pretty bad," Dallas agreed, looking down at the ground.

"Don't worry son, we'll find her," Chuck reassured him, smiling a warm smile.

"Thanks, I appreciate the help," Dallas said, standing up to move away. The only person left to talk to was Ben, who was standing near the fire escape, staring down at the street.

"Hey," he said, turning around to look at Dallas when he heard his approaching footsteps.

"Is something up? You don't look so good," Dallas said, noticing Ben's down trodden face.

"You almost died because of my mistake. Omid and Christa died because of my stupidity. I just can't help myself can I? I almost one of the only people I care about," Ben replied, looking down at the ground as his eyes began to water.

"It was an accident Ben, you can't keep blaming yourself for that," Dallas told him, placing a hand on his shoulder, which he only shook off.

"No! I will not let you take the blame away from me, I have to pay for what I have done, for the lives I have ended. Because of one mistake, I ended the lives of five different people, with a sixth well on the way, as soon as Lee dies from his bite. I can't keep doing this anymore, I can't keep lying to myself, I just can't!" Ben sobbed, backing away from Dallas.

"Ben, listen to me. You have so much left to live for, you can't let these thoughts take you down. You still have people that care about you, that want you alive, in this world. I need my friend," Dallas said, moving over to grab Ben by the shoulders.

"Everything I have ever said is a lie, everything. I can't even tell my only friend the truth," Ben snivelled, snot mixing with salty tears as he balled his eyes out.

"You're my best friend Ben. I'm not going to let you die, I-" Dallas started to say, before he was cut off by Ben, he pushed his lips against Dallas'. He stepped away instantly, shocked at what his friend just did, who looked just as shocked as he did.

"Dallas…" Ben trailed off, reaching out to his friend.

"No, just leave it. I have to go find that ladder," Dallas said quickly, moving away from Ben, who looked away to look down at the road, his crying becoming silent sobs. Dallas walked away, still stunned at what just happened. Why hadn't he noticed it before, why hadn't he figured it out? He knew he had to talk to Ben about this, but decided he better do later, noticing a ladder nearby. Hefting it onto his shoulder, he started walking over towards the bell tower, everyone following him as he passed by them. Once reached the edge of the roof adjacent to the bell tower, he placed the ladder on the edge, letting fall to the other side, forming a bridge.

"So, who's going over?" Kenny asked, looking around the group for volunteers.

"I'll do it, I've done it plenty of times before, so I should be able to do it now," Molly offered, moving towards the ladder. Before she could get on however, Dallas hopped on first making his way up the ladder, as she scowled at when he did.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," he smirked, making his way across the ladder.

"Just be careful you jack ass," Molly called after him with a smile. He made slow progress up the ladder, managing to get to the middle after about half a second. When he went past the middle however, he heard something fall down to the ground, turning around to find the screw holding the ladder in place had fallen out.

"Move it!" Kenny shouted, as the ladder started to slide backwards. Moving as fast as he could, Dallas moved the rest of the way up the ladder and jumped across to the bell tower, watching as the ladder fell to the alley below, crashing into a walker as it did so.

"You okay son?" Chuck called, as the group looked up at him in worry.

"I'm fine don't worry. It's just going to be a bit harder to get back now," Dallas called back, turning around to find how to start up the bell. Noticing some rope nearby that was attached to the bell, he quickly moved over to it and grasped it, pulling it down as hard as he could. The bell began to ring, the noise resounding throughout the city, each note as loud as the next. Looking down, Dallas saw that their plan worked, watching as all the walkers nearby started moving towards the toward, the loud noise attracting them.

"Great job. Now, get back here so we can leave!" Molly shouted, motioning for Dallas to come back.

"And how am I going to do that exactly?" he asked, looking down at the long drop that led to a mass amount of walkers.

"Get a running start and jump across. Don't worry, we'll catch you if you start to fall," Kenny reassured him.

"Well isn't this the best day of my life," Dallas groaned, pacing back until his back was up against one of the pillars of the tower. Taking a deep breath, he looked straight ahead, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do. Without hesitation, he started running at the edge of the bell tower, leaping across once he ran out of ground. He sailed through the air and fell towards the other roof, managing to grab the edge before he fell to his death. Molly and Kenny helped him back onto the roof, smiling down at their friend.

"Come on folks, let's get moving," Chuck announced, running towards the fire escape. Helping Dallas to his feet, Molly started to run to, moving close behind Ben and Kenny as they ran.

"We're on our way Clem, hang tight," Dallas breathed, running after his friends, ready to head back to the house to figure out their next move.

* * *

**Here we go guys, time to go into the fray, it's time for...EPISODE 5 TO BEGIN! :D**

**I hope you enjoyed the opening chapter, I know I liked writing it, so yeah ^_^**

**I've almost finished writing all of the episode 5 chapters, so I will be able to just post them left and right. Unless there are cliffhangers, then I may have no choice but to wait for a bit :P**

**I will warn you, from what I've seen, there isn't going to be as many chapters for this episode as much as previous ones, but I think they are still good for what they are, so hopefully you like them :3**

**Anywho, farewell for now my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**

**P.S. For **_Rebloxic: _**Let's just say that by the end of the story, you won't be seeing many leftover people... :P**


	53. Chapter 53 - A Manor of Opinion

It didn't take long for the group to find the route back to the house, easily making their way up to the house via the fence near the shed. As they were walking up to the shed, Dallas noticed a walker coming towards them, not having noticed that they were coming. Taking the opportunity, he pulled an arrow from his quiver and put it in his crossbow, sticking it against the walker's head and firing, continuing to walk as the walker feel to the ground. Just as they were about to turn the corner to the shed, they suddenly heard a loud banging, coming from inside the shed itself, sounding like someone was trying to knock the door down. When they turned around to look, they found a shovel pushed between the handles, trapping whoever was there inside the shed.

"Let us out of here you bastards!" Carley's voice shouted, coming from inside the shed.

"If you don't let us out right now, I will rip your fucking heads off!" That sounded like Lee, which meant that they must've got jumped for some reason while they were gone.

"Hold guys, we'll get you out!" Dallas shouted, pulling the shovel away from the door, opening it to reveal a flustered Carley and a one armed Lee.

"About time you guys showed up," Lee exclaimed, not even seeming to notice that half his arm was missing.

"Those fuckers," Carley cursed, snarling at thin air.

"What happened to you guys? Where's the boat?" Kenny asked, looking into the now empty shed, the boat missing from its usual spot.

"It was Vernon. Those fuckers came here to steal the boat, and when we tried to stop them, they knocked us out and locked us in here. They were all armed and everything," Carley replied, hanging her head in shame.

"Mother fucker!" Kenny screamed walking away to vent his rage on the nearby bin.

"So they didn't have the little girl then?" Chuck asked, looking at the pair curiously, probably noticing Lee's missing arm as well.

"Nope, they didn't have her. Just a bunch of old people with guns," Lee replied, looking ashamed.

"Well she's with someone else then. Her parents were supposed to be in Savannah, but I think someone used that to their advantage to gain her trust," Dallas theorised, barely being able to contain his questions.

"So, we're going to go after her right?" Carley asked, looking up at Dallas with worry in her eyes.

"Do you even have to ask?" Kenny questioned, coming back from his rage filled bin bashing.

"Okay that's it. I don't know why no one else has brought this up yet, but Lee, why the fuck is half your arm missing?" Dallas asked, making everyone go silent.

"Cut it off," Lee replied, looking down at the stump that was once his arm.

"Fuck, that's badass," Molly smirked. Scowling at her, Dallas turned to look at Lee properly, looking him in the eye.

"Why did you do that?" he questioned, not understanding how that would help.

"We thought it might save his life, or at least give him more time. He was lucky the bite was on the wrist, and not anywhere important. Who knows what will happen next," Carley answered for him, wrapping her arms around his only arm that was still intact.

"Everything is just falling to shit right now," Kenny whispered, getting everyone's attention. Nearby, the low groaning of walkers could be heard, slowly approaching the house.

"I'm going to go over the fence and let you guys in," Molly said, walking over to the fence, and pulling herself over, landing on the ground with a soft thud.

"This can't be happening, it just can't. Everything is so fucked up right now…" Kenny trailed off staring off into the distance.

"Clementine is still out there somewhere, we can't give up," Lee said, placing his good arm on his friend's shoulder.

"So what? We get Clementine back from whatever psycho took her, and then what?" Kenny questioned, shoving Lee's hand away.

"We should get out of the cities. Cities are the worse place to be in this shit hole a of a world. We could go to the countryside, and make a life out there," Chuck suggested, as Kenny shook his head in annoyance.

"Yeah, I like the sound of that," Ben agreed, making Kenny glare at him.

"No one asked you shitbird," Kenny snapped.

"But you just did," Ben retorted.

"Don't you be fucking smart with me." Kenny glared at Ben, his eyes boring through his skull, while Ben cowered away, hiding behind Dallas, who stepped away from him little.

"Everyone just calm down and keep it together. Nothing has changed, we're still okay, right?" Dallas asked, looking over to Kenny.

"Nothing has change?!" Kenny asked in disbelief, looking like he was speaking to an idiot.

"I mean right here, right now. We need to stay on course, and not turn on each other," Dallas implored, looking around the group.

"Yeah, just chill out Kenny," Ben agreed, putting on a brave face. Before Kenny could answer, the door opened nearby, showing Molly waiting for them on the other side.

"Can we please do this in the yard, where it's safer?" Lee asked, leading the group through the shed out into the yard. Ben and Kenny were the last ones to walk through, the latter glaring at the former.

"Ben, I swear to god…" Kenny started to say, before he disappeared around the corner, leaving Carley and Dallas alone, the former looking at him worriedly.

"What will we do, now that we don't have a boat?" Carley asked, shaking her head.

"I think I agree with what Chuck said. We should go out to the countryside. We've been around cities, coastlines, boats and all that for way to long now. Just take Clem and the group out there and live as safe as we can get," Dallas answered, getting a smile from Carley.

"I agree, the countryside does sound like the safest place to be right now. There's a problem though," Carley said, looking out into the yard where was standing nearby, watching something intently.

"You know it doesn't have much time left," Dallas said, finishing her sentence.

"It took me three months to tell him how I feel, to tell him that I like him. Now, I'm about to lose him, just like that. Those things lurking around out there have ripped everything I love right out of my fingertips, and I can't do anything to stop it. It's all just so fucked," Carley sniffed, fresh tears falling to the ground at her feet.

"I know things are bad right now, but you have to be happy with what you have right now. Some people didn't even get a chance to be with their loved ones, to find people that love you back. We'll be together until the end. When Lee can't take it anymore, we will be right by your side, helping you every step of the way," Dallas reassured her, pulling her into a hug.

"Thanks Dallas. I honestly don't know what this group would do without you, you're like the glue that holds us all together . Where would we be if you weren't here?" Chuckling, Dallas put an arm around her shoulder, leading her through the shed into the yard.

"Without me, you guys would so be dead by now," he laughed, Carley laughing along with him.

"Where the fuck do you get off?" Dallas heard Kenny shout. Looking at each other, Carley and Dallas ran into the yard to find Kenny and Ben, the former giving the latter a verbal beat down.

"I'm just trying to say that we should all chill out, not just you," Ben pointed out putting his hands up defensively.

"Chill? 'Bandits, hey, chill, here's some pills!' 'Vernon, chill, here's our fucking boat.'" Kenny said sarcastically.

"This isn't my fault," Ben whispered, looking over to Dallas for help.

"There ain't one thing that's happened to us that wasn't caused by your stupidity," Kenny growled, glaring at Ben.

"Kenny…" Dallas trailed off, moving over to try and get through to him.

"We should've left you back in Crawford to die." This looked like the last straw for Ben, who suddenly screamed, surprising everyone.

"FUCK YOU KENNY!" he screamed, making Kenny stumble backwards.

"Guys, please-" Dallas started to say before someone grabbed him by the arm, stopping him.

"No, let him do this, needs to learn to defend himself," Carley said, letting go of Dallas' arm.

"I am so, so, so sorry about what happened to Katjaa and Duck, I really am. I know I'm a fuck up, that I ruined so many people's lives, but you have to stop pushing me around and you need to stop wishing I was dead!" Ben shouted, stepping towards Kenny angrily.

"You-" Kenny began to say, before Ben cut him off.

"No! You know how they died, you know what happened to your family. Hell, you've were able to say goodbye to them! I never even got to see my family, I haven't seen them since before this all started. My parents, my little sister, I don't even know where they are. Do you even get that? Your family may be gone, but at least you had a family to lose. I never had a chance to go home, I got stuck in all this, never being able to escape. They could be alive, they could be dead, they could be walkers, or worse, who knows, because I SURE AS HELL DON'T. SO GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK!" Everyone was gobsmacked, staring at the exchange with shock, surprise and awe on their faces, never having seen Ben shout like he just did.

"Ben, I'm so sorry, I-" Kenny began to apologise, before he was cut off by one of the scariest noises in the known world. The groans of walkers filled the air, making everyone turn around to see an enormous herd of walkers shuffling their way, all of them ready to rip the group limb from limb.

"Fuck," Kenny swore, frozen to the spot.

"Come on everyone, get inside the house, right now!"

* * *

**I always loved this moment in the episode. Ben proves that he isn't a pushover, that he lost someone as well, poor guy :c**

**So yeah, hope that was enjoyable for you folks ^_^**

**Next up, the big house showdown, isn't it exciting? :3**

**I can tell you this though guys... There will be a death in the next chapter, so prepare yourselves...**

**Farewell my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	54. Chapter 54 - Nowhere to Run

"They shouldn't be able to get into the backyard right?" Kenny asked, as Dallas slammed the door behind them. When they had heard the walkers approaching the house, the group had run back into the house, hoping that they would all be safe there.

"I don't know," Dallas replied, just as the sound of breaking wood could be heard outside.

"Maybe not," Kenny sighed, looking out the window ti see walkers moving in on the house.

"We can secure this place, it will be fine," Carley reassured everyone. Everyone turned to look at Dallas, waiting for him to give them orders.

"Carley, Lee, go cover the front room windows, now!" he ordered, pointing to the longue room.

"On it," they said in unison, running over to watch the front room windows .

"Kenny, move furniture around to make sure nothing can get in," Dallas ordered, gesturing to the longue where Carley and Lee currently were.

"You got it boss," Kenny nodded, running off to start moving things around.

"Molly, go find any weapons you can, who knows how long we will need to hold out here," Dallas ordered.

"Already on it," Molly said, running off to search the house.

"Ben, go help Molly search," Dallas ordered, gesturing to Molly, who was rummaging through the drawers nearby.

"I can do that," Ben said, running over to help her.

"Chuck. Chuck?" Dallas turned to give Chuck his orders, but he was already bolting away, down the hall to the front door, which he realised with shock was open.

"Some help would be nice!" Chuck shouted, slamming the door quickly.

"Front doors everyone, now!" Dallas yelled, making to run for the front door, but was pulled down to the ground when something grabbed his leg. Looking straight ahead when he hit the ground on his back, he realised that a walker was sticking its arm through the pet door, tightly grasping his ankle. Dallas began to kick the flap of the door as hard as he could, kicking it against the walkers hand to make it let go. Once it had let go, he stood up and looked over to the door, seeing his friends struggling.

"Dallas, use this!" Molly shouted from the kitchen, throwing him a meat cleaver. He caught it by the handle and ran down the hall, quickly moving over to the door, where there were countless arms sticking their way through the door, keeping it open.

"Cut their fucking arms off!" Kenny shouted, trying his best to shove the door closed, as Chuck, Carley and Lee helped him. Using the meat cleaver that Molly gave him, he began to hack arms off left and right, as less and less arms got stuck in between the doors. Soon, there were none left and the group were able to close the door, everyone panting from the exhaustion.

"Now what?" Ben asked, walking into the front room with Molly not far behind.

"Get ready to fight," Dallas said, pulling his crossbow off of his back. Carley pulled her pistol out of her pocket and reloaded it, making sure it was ready for use. Lee pulled out his own gun and Carley helped him load it, getting him ready also. While they were doing this, Kenny reloaded his gun, Chuck pulled his shovel out, ready to use, Molly pulled out Hilda and Ben pulled out his hatchet, all of them ready for a showdown. As if on cue, a nearby window was shattered as a walker stuck it's hand through, trying to get inside. This seemed to cause a crescendo of events, as the back door fell off of its hinges, allowing the large group from the backyard to get inside the house. To make matters worse, the rest of the windows in the front room began to get smashed, allowing the walkers to just slide in.

"Let's go up the stairs!" Kenny suggested, leading the group up the stairs, firing off a few shots as he went, anyone else with a gun following suit. Just as he was about to fire off an arrow, he looked at the walker in front of him, and realised with horror how familiar they were.

"Brie?" Dallas asked in shock, wondering how the hell she got out of Crawford to get all the way to the house. Not thinking about it, he fired his crossbow and sent the arrow right through her head, turning around to run up the stairs before any of the other walkers could reach him. He reloaded his crossbow as he went up, finding Carley and Lee aiming their guns down at the ground, firing at anything that got to close to the stairs, trying to save their ammo.

"Someone come help me with this!" Kenny shouted, trying to push a cabinet he must've pushed over. Handing his crossbow to Ben to hold, Dallas ran over to help Kenny, Chuck and Molly doing the same. Soon, they had pushed it into the nearby hall, blocking any walkers that might make it up the stairs.

"Move!" Carley shouted, gesturing for everyone to go over the cabinet. Leaving the banister, Carley and Lee ran over to the cabinet, jumping over to get down the hall, while Ben, Chuck, Kenny, Dallas and Molly not far behind.

"It should hopefully keep them at bay while we mow those fuckers down. Guns out everyone!" Kenny shouted, pulling his gun back out, handing his shotgun over to Chuck to use. Dallas pulled his rifle off of his back and handed it to Ben exchanging it to get his crossbow back. Molly pulled out a gun she must've found before, aiming it down the hall. Carley and Lee aimed their own guns down the hall, and everyone was ready for an epic showdown.

"We can't let those things get us trapped, so be careful," Dallas told them, waiting for the first walker to appear.

"Try and kill as many as you can folks," Kenny said, his trigger finger itching.

"If you see an opening, you go for it, we have to get out of here," Chuck told them, loading a bullet in his shotgun.

"How many bullets do we all have?" Kenny asked, checking his own stock.

"Four," Carley said, putting her bullets back in her gun.

"Five," Lee said.

"Six," Molly said.

"Seven shells" Chuck said.

"Fifteen arrows," Dallas said.

"Nine," Molly said.

"Well, you all know where to aim, so make each shot count," Kenny said, aiming his gun down the hall once more. Before long the first walker came around the corner and Dallas fired an arrow, managing to lodge it in the walker's head killing it. While he was reloading it, everyone else started firing their own weapons, taking down the walkers one by one, mowing them down easily. Each of them fell one by one, Dallas managing to shoot off most of his arrows, before slowly, everyone started to run out of ammo, each of them ending up with empty guns. Before long, everyone was out, and there was no sign that the walkers were letting up any time soon, no sign of any opening to escape through.

"That's all I have left," Carley said, being the last one, apart from Dallas, to run out of ammo.

"And there's been no goddamn openings!" Kenny shouted, turning to look at the group. Looking up at the ceiling, Dallas noticing the little ball at the end of the string that opens the attic, giving him an idea.

"Everybody up!" he ordered, pulling the ladder to the attic down for everyone to go up. Carley and Lee went up first, quickly moving up the ladder to allow everyone else to follow. Next, Molly, Chuck and Kenny went up, following Carley and Lee up into the attic. Finally, Ben started making his way up, allowing for Dallas to make his way up as well. He had only just gotten onto the ladder, when he was grabbed from behind, falling backwards towards the walkers.

"Dallas!" Ben shouted, jumping down from the ladder and pulling out his hatchet, killing the walker that had grabbed Dallas. Ben helped him to his feet and shoved him towards the ladder, making him climb up it first. When Dallas reached halfway, he turned around to make sure Ben was following him, only to find that we was surrounded by walkers.

"Ben!" Dallas shouted, making to jump down to help him.

"Don't! Don't make my sacrifice be in vain. Go save Clem!" Ben shouted, sticking the hatchet into the head of a walker, dodging the teeth of another.

"Please Ben, don't do this," Dallas pleaded, tears flowing down his cheeks.

"I love you," Ben said, before a walker sunk its teeth into shoulder, pulling him back into the oncoming herd.

"Come Dallas, get up here, now!" Kenny shouted, reaching his hand out to him. With once last glance at his friend, who was slowly getting the flesh ripped from his body, he took a hold of Kenny's hand, letting himself get pulled up into the attic. Once he was up, Chuck pulled the ladder back up, closing up the hole to the attic, trapping them inside. The only noise to be heard outside was the groans of walkers, and the screams of Ben, slowly growing quieter.

* * *

**Sorry for the super short chapter, I just felt that I needed to cut it off here, considering the death...**

**So yeah, there you go, another chapter, I hope you enjoyed it ^_^**

**I'm so so close to finishing the writing of the chapters of this episode/story, it isn't even funny, like wow :O**

**Anyway, farewell my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	55. Chapter 55 - Such is Life

Everyone sat around the attic in silence, the full impact of what just happened taking it's time to sink in properly. Ben was dead. He sacrificed himself, to save Dallas. He sacrificed himself, in the hopes of redeeming himself, for all the shit he caused. Carley was sitting beside Lee, her head on his shoulder, as he stroked her hair, trying to comfort her the best he could. Kenny was nearby, looking out the window, looking down at the flooded streets of walkers. Chuck was leaning against the wall nearby, looking down at the ground sullenly, seeming to be in prayer. Molly was sitting beside Dallas, who still had yet to move from his position since he got into the attic.

"That could've gone better," Kenny commented, breaking the silence that had taken over the room.

"Is everyone okay?" Carley asked, wiping tears away from her cheeks. Everyone nodded their heads slowly, standing up to move together as a group.

"Lee's still bitten," Kenny pointed out, joining the group last.

"Shut up Kenny," Carley snapped, standing in front of Lee defensively.

"Let's just worry about getting out of here, so that we can keep movin'" Chuck said, trying make sure an argument didn't break out.

"You're right, we have to keep moving. Do we reckon there's any chance that we can go and find Clem, then catch up to the bastards that stole the boat?" Kenny asked, addressing the group.

"Who knows, we could," Molly answered, trying to meet Dallas' gaze.

"Well, there isn't much chance of us escaping through the window. There are no latches, no roof access and there is a thirty foot drop down to the ground," Chuck said, looking out the window Kenny had been standing at previously.

"Any ideas?" Kenny asked, trying to figure out what to do.

"I wonder if he knew," Lee joked, looking down at a stone bust sitting on a table.

"Knock it off, you big nerd," Carley said, poking him in the rib playfully.

"Sorry, you know me, love my history," he told her, smirking as he kissed her. After standing around for another couple of minutes in silence, Kenny sighed, breaking the silence once more.

"So we don't have any ideas then?" he asked, finally noticing how quiet Dallas was, looking at him with worry.

"There has to be another way out of here, surely," Lee said, looking around the room.

"Maybe if we check the floor, find some other access, like a vent or something," Carley suggested, examining the floor around her.

"We could always just wait for the house to be clear of walkers and get out that way, stick to the high road," Kenny proposed, his gaze not leaving Dallas.

"You feeling okay? You don't look too good," Carley commented, feeling Lee's forehead. "And you're warm."

"I'm fine, don't-" Lee began to say, before being cut off by Clementine's walkie talkie crackling to life.

"Dallas, Dallas, Dallas, I'm okay. I'm where my parents… oh no!" It was Clementine, she must've got the walkie talkie off of the stranger that had kidnapped her.

"What was that all about?" Molly asked, looking down at the walkie talkie grasped in Dallas' hand.

"She's at the hotel where her parents were supposed to be staying. The Marsh House. He's hasn't moved her yet," Dallas whispered, placing the walkie talkie back on his belt.

"Then we better figure out a way to get out of here and find her," Carley said, moving away to start looking around the room, Chuck and Lee moving to help her.

"We better start thinking about more than just Clementine when it comes to our…urgency," Kenny said, glancing at Lee.

"What are you saying?" Molly questioned, finally looking away from Dallas.

"How do we get out of here?" he asked back, looking to Carley, Chuck and Lee for an answer.

"Isn't that the point here. We don't know," Carley said, confused as to why he was asking such a stupid question.

"Right, now here's a new scenario. Your life depends on you escaping, how do you get out?" he asked again, still confusing the group.

"Stop it right now. We can't panic, we have to stay calm," Lee said, moving back over to stand with the group.

"Do you think cutting your arm off worked?" Kenny asked, changing to a new line of questioning.

"I honestly do not know, but I really hope so," Lee asked, finally understanding where this was going.

"We all need to have ourselves an 'adult' conversation about what we do if Lee here takes a spill," Kenny announced, getting shocked faces from the group.

"Can we not do this now-" Carley started to say, before being cut off.

"Who knows, we could have another Larry situation on our hands here," Kenny continued, walking around the outside of the group, looking in.

"Who's Larry?" Molly asked, turning to look at Lee and Carley.

"Can we please not do this. Clementine is waiting for us to come and find her, we need to focus on that first," Lee said, watching Kenny pace around the room.

"We won't be able to do that girl any good if you attack us first," Kenny pointed put, finally stopping his pacing.

"That won't happen," Carley said, walking over to stand beside Lee.

"And how do you know that?" Kenny snapped, glaring at Carley.

"Guys!" Molly exclaimed, moving away from Dallas to address he group. "I don't know what happened to you guys before Chuck and I showed up in your group, but I think we can cross the 'Lee is a zombie' bridge when we get to it."

"Lee, Carley, I'm not advocating anything here. But we're all so worked up about trying to find Clementine, that we have completely forgotten about you," Kenny said, ignoring Molly's comment.

"Don't do this Kenny. We've been looking out for each other since day one, don't ruin it now," Lee said, stepping towards him.

"Relax Lee, this has nothing to do with us," Kenny told him, rolling his eyes.

"This is getting a little out of hand…" Chuck said, stepping into the conversation.

"We need to talk about this, talk about what is going to happen. We are going to save that girl, even if it means leaving Lee behind, just in case" Kenny exclaimed, stalking towards Lee.

"You are not leaving me out of this. I am just as responsible for that girl as you are. You know what to do if I turn, and that's all that matters. Understand?" Lee asked, watching as Kenny became angrier.

"You could become one of them Lee. We could lose you, don't you understand that? How are you staying so fucking calm right now?" Kenny shouted angrily, staring right at him. Before Lee had a chance to answer, and before Kenny had a chance to continue, Dallas walked up the them and hefted the bust into his hands, throwing it at the nearby wall.

"Both of you listen right now. My friend just died right now, he was devoured saving my life. One of the only people I care about in this world is in the hands of a psycho. All this is happening around us, and you're arguing over something that hasn't even happened yet? Both of you shut the fuck up and help to figure a way out of her, or so help me god I will hit you both over the head with my hammer!" he yelled, glaring at the two men, making them back away.

"Don't think we need to worry about finding a way out anymore," Carley pointed out, pointing to the wall the bust hit. There was now a giant hole in the wall, the bust managing to easily break through the flimsy material. Kenny moved over and kneeled down in front of the wall, pulling a piece of the wall away easily.

"This shit is corroded to hell," Kenny said, standing back up.

"What's on the other side of this wall do you think?" Carley asked, looking over at the wall. Dallas walked over to the wall and looked down at it, trying to figure out a way to break through it easier.

"If I'm right, this mansion is right up against the next house, which means it should be right on the other side," Chuck pointed out. Dallas looked at the nearby coat rack and picked it up, an idea forming in his head.

"Well I'll be damned," Kenny smiled, looking over at the wall, just as Dallas smashed the coat rack against it, knocking more of it away.

"We can easily break through this," Dallas said, turning around to face the group.

"We sure this will work?" Molly questioned, looking at the small hole. Kenny walked over and picked up the coat rack, beginning to smack it against the wall, making the wall slowly crumble.

"This will definitely work. We'll take it in shifts. Dallas, Chuck and I will all take turns until we're through," Kenny said, continuing his work. Nodding their heads, everyone moved away to the nearby couched, sitting down to wait for the wall to be knocked down.

"Listen, Dallas, about before…" Lee trailed off, not sure what to say.

"It's fine, I'm sorry for the outburst. I just couldn't handle it, just watching him die back there. Seeing someone get shot in the head is completely different to seeing someone get devoured by walkers. I guess I wasn't handling it too well," Dallas chuckled, making Lee smile.

"You do have a point I suppose. I'm sorry about Ben though, he was a good kid, if you looked past his flaws. Sad to see him go," Lee said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Not much to be done I guess. When you're dead, you're dead," Dallas stated, walking away to go sit with the others at the couch. Lee gave him a worried look as he followed, not liking the way he said that.

"Still can't believe you got bit out there," Chuck said in disbelief, looking over at Lee as he approached the group.

"Tell that to my arm," Lee joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"How are you staying so calm right now? I mean, come on, you're gonna die," Molly said, receiving a scowl from Carley.

"Who ever said I'm calm? I'm scared shitless," Lee admitted, taking a hold of Carley's hand as he sat down. "I mean, come on, I was bitten by a walker for goodness sake, why wouldn't I be scared?"

"You make a fair point," Molly laughed, shaking her head at his light heartedness.

"Still weird to look at you and find half your arm missing. Keep expecting to find it there," Dallas said, staring at Lee's stump.

"We just hope that whatever is in their bite left his system when he took it off," Carley said, tightening her grip on Lee's hand.

"What are the odds of it happening though? Are we sure it work?" Molly asked, looking between the pair.

"If we're being perfectly honest here, we don't know. We know everyone's wondering. Even if it did just slow down the process, we're just happy for some extra time together," Lee admitted, letting Carley lean her head on his shoulder.

"You'll be fine, don't worry," Dallas said, looking up at him.

"So, what are we gonna do when we find the whack job that took the girl?" Molly asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"We make sure he never has the chance to ever take anyone again, that's what we're going to do," Dallas deadpanned, staring at the ground.

"Or we could just figure out who this guy is, why he did what he did. We can rescue Clem, but she isn't going to be safe from this guy if he doesn't stop," Lee pointed out, looking down at Dallas worriedly once more.

"Did you folks get into any trouble, before you met us newbies here I mean?" Chuck asked, addressing Lee, Carley and Dallas.

"You make it sound like it's possible to have survived this long and not get into shit," Lee chuckled, probably thinking back on everything that has happened in the past week and a bit.

"So, when you do end up kicking the bucket, what do you-" Molly started to ask, before Carley stood from her seat to face her.

"We can't talk like that right now," she snapped, getting pulled back into her seat by Lee, who shook his head.

"I was bitten Carley, you know what's going to happen," he told her, shifting his focus to his girlfriend.

"But you cut it off, surely you'll be okay," she said, looking down at the ground with teary eyes.

"It won't do us any good to plan around that working out for me, okay?" he asked her, lifting her chin up to make her look at him.

"And what good will it do you to give up?" she retorted, as he wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Who says I've given up?" he said with a smile, pulling her up to him for a kiss.

"God guys, get a room," Dallas said, standing up to walk away from them, making everyone present laugh.

"Who wants a turn with the wall?" Kenny asked, moving over to sit with the group.

"Why don't you go have a go of it for a while? Get yourself in shape," Lee joked, lightly shoving Carley over to the wall.

"You of all people should know I'm in good shape," she winked, walking over to pick up the coat rack. Once she had started to work on the wall, Lee leant down and gesturing for everyone else to do the same, quietening his voice a little.

"I want you guys to take good care of her, you know, when the time comes," he said, glancing over at his girlfriend.

"Don't talk like that," Dallas said, not liking the way he was talking.

"Just listen okay? It has been a long time since I have loved a woman this much, I don't want her to get hurt when I can no longer take care of her, even if she can take care of herself," Lee continued, smiling grimly at the last part.

"Don't worry, we'll take good care of her," Chuck reassured him, Lee nodding his head in thanks.

"We're all family here, and she's a part of it, so of course," Kenny said, shaking Lee's hand.

"Don't even know the chick, but she is one of the most badass women I have ever met. I'll be damned if I don't help her to live so I can see what she can do," Molly smirked, looking over at Carley.

"Goes without saying," Dallas smiled, leaning back to rest his hands on the ground behind him.

"Okay guys, time for someone else to take over," Carley panted, walking back over to sit with Lee.

"Guess I'm up," Chuck said, walking over to start working on the wall.

"Shouldn't be long until we're through, thank god," Kenny said, leaning to put his elbows on his knees, resting his head in his hands. "Your arm feelin' any better Lee?"

"Well, it still feels recently chopped, so you know, feels about as could as you can expect," Lee joked, bringing his stump up for all to see.

"You know what I meant you idiot," Kenny laughed, his face becoming serious again. "I mean, do you think it worked? Do you think it helped you at all?"

"Well, I still feel like a man that was bitten by a dead guy, so you can take that for what it's worth," Lee replied, looking down at his arm.

"I don't think I'd be as brave as you in this kind of situation," Kenny admitted, staring down at the ground, before he started to cry a little.

"You okay gramps?" Molly asked, sitting down beside him.

"I honestly don't know how to answer that question anymore," Kenny replied, looking back up at her.

"Sorry, I guess you've lost more than all of us, even if we've lost family before," Molly apologised, looking over at the rest of the group, who were bowing their heads in sorrow.

"Don't worry Kenny, you still got us," Dallas reassured him, placing a hand on his knee for comfort.

"Why are you all acting like what happened to him hasn't happened?" Kenny questioned, shaking Dallas' hand away. "Either way, I appreciate it, from all of you. We've all lost someone."

"And now we've lost someone else," Dallas agreed, looking out the nearby window.

"I know I hated his guts, but no one deserves to go out like that, ever. What he said to me, I never really thought about it that way, never thought to ask about his family," Kenny admitted, glancing down at a box beside the couch. Reaching in, he pulled out a machete and threw it to the ground by Dallas, pulling a bottle of wine out.

"This could be useful," Dallas said aloud, picking the machete up to examine it, while Kenny cracked open the bottle.

"These boys tell you much about what we've been through in the past couple of weeks?" Kenny asked, taking a long draught of his wine.

"Only from the passing comments you folks have made from time to time," Chuck answered from over at the wall, Molly nodding her head in agreement.

"Before you guys came along, there was this woman, her name was Lilly, god bless her soul. We had to… make a few tough decisions when it came to her dad, but this boy right here stopped anything bad from happening," Kenny started, motioning to Dallas who was sitting on the ground nearby. "She almost came between all of us, but thanks to him, mine and Lee's friendship couldn't be stronger."

"And you're still a bastard anyway," Lee chuckled, making Kenny laugh as he took another sip of his drink.

"And you're still an asshole. Well, cheers," Kenny said, taking yet another sip of his drink. He leant over to Lee, offering him the bottle, but he shook his head, not wanting any. Carley and Molly both did the same, but Chuck gladly walked over to accept, chugging down a large mouthful before continuing to bash the wall. Finally, he offered the bottle to Dallas, who stared at it for a couple of seconds, before taking the bottle out of his hands, chugging the rest of the bottle down.

"Careful, you don't want to drink too much of that stuff," Molly laughed, finding his display amusing.

"God I needed that," Dallas said, putting the bottle back in the box where he found it.

"Done and dusted folks," Chuck announced, putting the coat rack back where he found it. As everyone started to walk over to join him, Dallas stopped Lee in his tracks, handing him the meat cleaver.

"Don't you need this?" Lee asked, looking down at the sharp object.

"You need it more than I do. Besides, I have this now," Dallas told him, pulling the machete out of his sheath to show off, placing it back in so that he could tie it to his belt.

"Things are definitely looking up," Lee said, once he and Dallas joined the rest of the group, looking through the hole into the next room.

* * *

**There we go folks, one more chapter for you to read, hope you all like it ^_^**

**Now, I probably won't be able to post any more chapters for you today, but never fear, we shall be done in the next two days, so prepare yourselves for the onslaught! :P**

**And also, I can guarantee that Dallas is not gay, I have his whole story planned out, and that does not come in. The whole Ben liking him thing was a small side thing I did on a whim, it just happened out of nowhere :) So not sure if you guys have a good opinion of homosexuality or not... **_thoughts please? _

**Anyway, farewell my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	56. Chapter 56 - I Do

"Everyone keep an eye out, who knows what's in here," Kenny told the group, once everyone had gotten through the hole. The room they had ended up in seemed pretty much untouched, no blood, nothing broken, nothing like that was present. The room itself seemed pretty sealed off, the only exit looking to be a nearby door, and a balcony that lead outside. Unfortunately, the only downside to the room, was lying on the bed, in the form of two bodies. A couple, not looking all that old, were lying on the bed, one of them still holding a gun, both their heads looking to have been blown out with said gun. To make the scene even more depressing, the couple had died with their hands interlock, giving it a more romantic feel, rather than a horrific one. Lee wrapped his arms around Carley for comfort, neither of them liking what they were seeing. Even Kenny seemed to be shocked and depressed over the dead couple, staring down at the pair of them forlornly.

"Come on guys, we should keep moving," Dallas told the group, trying to get them away from the couple.

"Yeah, you're right. It's just, we've seen so many people die in this apocalypse. I don't know why these ones break my heart so much," Carley said, pulling away from Lee to go stand at the cabinet nearby.

"What's hearbreakin' is that they didn't give themselves a chance. It's what Katjaa did," Kenny said sadly, looking down at the dead woman.

"You know you did everything you could Kenny," Dallas told him, trying his best to comfort him.

"No Dallas, I didn't. She left me, and then my son…the people that cared about us… I forgive her for what she did, but that still doesn't make it any less wrong. You can't just end it because you think it's hard, or that you think there's no hope. You have to stick it out, you have to help the folks that you still care about, that are still living. That's why we need to figure a way to get the hell out of here and go save that little girl," Kenny said, ending his speech.

"Then let's get moving," Chuck agreed, moving over to the balcony.

"Got at least one shot left," Kenny announced, talking about the gun he just took from the dead man.

"Why don't we clear the room before we head off. Dallas, look around for a way to get out of here," Molly said, moving over to a nearby drawer to start rummaging through it. Nodding his head, he started to head over to the balcony door, but stopped in front of the dead couple one last time, staring down at their lifeless faces.

"Dallas? Can we talk to you quickly?" Carley asked, calling him over to her and Lee, who were talking quietly previously.

"What's up?" he asked, noticing their anxious faces.

"We have something we wanted to ask you, and we both agree," Lee answered, smiling at Carley.

"Just get to the point guys. What's going on?" he asked again. In answer, the pair lifted up their hands to show Dallas, a ring in each one.

"We want to get married. Right here, right now, while there's still a chance to, and we want you as the best man. We know it can't be anything flash, not like we even have a priest, but-" Carley started to say, before Chuck walked over, a smile on his face.

"As strange as it may be, I'm a registered priest, I can do a small ceremony with you folks if you wanted?" he offered, getting beaming faces from Carley and Lee in return.

"That would be wonderful, we would appreciate it," Carley said excitedly, turning to look at Lee.

"Ya'll don't mind if we join in do you?" Kenny asked, stepping over to the group with Molly in tow.

"You're all a part of our family too, so of course," Lee said happily, moving away to the nearby open space with Carley, since Chuck had already moved over there. Dallas and Kenny stood with Lee on his side, while Molly stood with Carley, everyone as happy as the next.

"Shall we begin then?" Chuck asked, looking between the couple.

"Ready," Lee and Carley said in unison, looking into each other's eyes as they took each other's hands.

"To all present I say: We are gathered here, not to witness the beginning of what will be, but rather what already is! We do not create this marriage, because we cannot. We can and do, however, celebrate with Lee and Carley, the wondrous and joyful occurrence that has already taken place in their lives, and the commitment they make today. Ultimately there comes a moment when a decision must be made. Two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take. Commitment may well be a fearful gamble. Because it is the nature of love to create, a marriage itself is something which has to be created, such that as we come together in marriage, we become a new creature." Chuck looked between the couple and smiled, turning to look at Lee first. "Do you have any vows you wish to give?"

"I know we haven't really known each other for all that long, hell we only met three months ago. But I know, that were meant to be together, from the moment I laid eyes on you. You're pretty, you're smart, you're badass with a good shot, what more could a guy ask for? Although our time left together may be short, I know that with what little time we do have left, that we will make the most of it. I loved you from the moment I met you, and I will love you until my dying breath," Lee said, smiling down at Carley. Chuck nodded to Carley for her to speak, waiting for her to figure out what to say.

"I'll admit, when I first figure out that I liked you, I can honestly say that I never thought we would end up here, doing this right now. I thought that we might be together for a couple of years, before we even thought of doing something like this. But, I guess when you're in this world, you have no choice, but to go with the flow, and take every moment like it is your last one. Today may very well be our last day together, and I will mourn you for many years to come. But I know in my heart, that after today, only one man will hold the place in my heart that can still fall in love," Carley said, tearing up as she spoke.

"Do you have rings?" Chuck asked, watching as they each pulled rings out of their pockets.

"Carley, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love. As it encircles your finger, may it always remind you that you will always be surrounded by my enduring love, no matter what happens," Lee said, placing the ring on her finger.

"I give you this ring as a visible and constant symbol of my promise to be with you, for as long as I live, even if you don't," Carley said, putting her own ring on his finger.

"And now, by the power invested in me, by the state of Georgia, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," Chuck announced. Beaming up at each other, Carley and Lee leaned into each other, giving each other a tender, longing kiss, that lasted at least half a minute, neither of them looking they were going to let up anytime soon.

"I love you," Carley said, when they finally pulled away from each other.

"I love you too," Lee said, smiling down at her.

"Family and Friends, I present to you, Mr Lee Everett, and his brand new wife, Mrs Carley Everett," Chuck said happily, clapping his hands together, getting everyone else to join in.

"As much as I hate to break up a happy moment, should we get going to save that little girl now?" Kenny asked, receiving nods from the rest of the group.

"Of course, we can't leave Clementine waiting out there for us," Carley agreed, not letting go of Lee's hand as they walked over to the balcony door. Dallas pulled the door open and stepped out into the cold afternoon air, looking down at the ground and over to the nearby roof, thinking they could all probably easily jump across, as long the balcony held.

"So, who wants to go out there first?" he asked, stepping away from the door to look at the group.

"Do the newlyweds want to hop across first?" Kenny asked, gesturing to Carley and Lee.

"Sounds like a plan," Carley replied, moving over to the balcony. She climbed up the side and held onto the wall behind her, preparing herself to jump across. Taking a deep breath, she jumped as hard as she could off of the balcony, managing to grab onto the nearby roof, pulling herself onto it.

"You're up next bud," Kenny said, motioning for Lee to move over to the balcony. Following what his wife just did, he climbed up onto the balcony and jumped across, getting help from Carley to get up onto the roof safely.

"I'll go next," Molly said, getting up on the balcony and jumping across, getting help from Carley and Lee to get onto the other roof.

"Looks like it's my turn," Kenny said, following those before him, easily making it over to the roof.

"You go next Chuck, I'll go last," Dallas said, moving aside for Chuck to get past him. Looking down at the balcony, Chuck quickly examine it, shaking his head.

"It's okay son, you go across first," Chuck offered, moving out of Dallas' way. Shrugging, Dallas moved over to the balcony and got up on the side, jumping across to the join the rest of the group.

"Now it's your turn old guy," Molly called, standing beside Kenny, waiting for Chuck to jump over so they could help him. Nodding his head, Chuck got up onto the balcony as it started to shake, looking a bit unstable. Before he had a chance to jump across to the other roof, the balcony gave way and he looked up, meeting Dallas' gaze, before falling down, screaming as he went.

"Chuck!" Dallas shouted, noticing a ladder nearby and running over to it.

"I'll come help you," Kenny said, following closely behind Dallas as he went down the ladder, the rest of the group looking down into the alley worriedly. When they both made it down to the ground, they quickly walked over to Chuck, who was lying down on the ground, barely moving.

"Chuck, are you okay?" Dallas asked, running to his side.

"I just fell from a two story height, so yeah, I'm doing fine," Chuck said sarcastically, making Dallas and Kenny chuckle.

"Don't worry old man, we'll get you up real soon," Kenny reassured him, moving to help Dallas move all the debris around Chuck.

"Just hurry up, I can't feel my legs," Chuck complained, resting his head on the ground. After moving away a cardboard box, Dallas and Kenny were shocked to find that Chuck had been impaled, probably happening when Chuck fell down with the balcony.

"Fuck…" Kenny cursed, staring down at the large metal spike sticking out of Chuck's stomach.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Chuck asked, staring up at the sky.

"We could try and get him up couldn't we?" Dallas asked, moving to pick Chuck's body up, but only succeeded in causing him pain when he touched him.

"I don't think that's going to work," Kenny sighed, looking down at the man.

"Maybe if he stays quiet, we can take our time, we can save him," Dallas suggested, trying to stay positive.

"We don't have time for that," Kenny said, standing up to look down the alley. Following his gaze, Dallas realised with horror that walkers had discovered them and were walking towards them, growing in number as they came towards them.

"Godammit!" Dallas cursed, turning around to see more coming from the other direction. Kenny tried to pick Chuck up, but he was stuck down tight, making him drop Chuck back to the ground.

"You boys have to go, leave me, please," Chuck pleaded, gesturing to the ladder they used to get down into the alley. Kenny looked at the walkers ahead of them and up at Dallas, an idea forming in his head.

"Do you have any bullets left? I only have the one," Kenny said, standing up to check the gun he took from the dead couple.

"I don't think I…" Dallas trailed off, patting his pockets, until he felt something in his side pocket. Reaching his hands in, he pulled out a few spare bullets, probably left over from the pistol he used to use before getting the rifle and the crossbow.

"That'll have to do," Kenny said, snatching the bullets out of Dallas' hand and putting them into the gun.

"And what are you going to do with those?" Dallas questioned, looking around him frantically.

"I'm going to take care of this, and you're going to get the fuck out of here," Kenny replied, looking at the Dallas' shocked face. "Go back. That girl needs you Dallas."

"Kenny please-" Dallas began to say.

"This is not a discussion!" Kenny shouted, aiming his gun at the oncoming herd.

"There is no way in hell I am leaving you down here to die," Dallas said, rooted to the spot.

"Did you not just hear me? Get going!" he yelled again, shifting his focus between Dallas and the incoming walkers.

"Come on Kenny, let's just get Chuck up and get him out of here," Dallas begged, refusing to leave without his friend. Sighing, Kenny looked into Dallas eyes apologetically, pushing him backwards, closing the gate behind him and locking it.

"Sorry," he apologised, looking down the alley.

"What the fuck are you doing Kenny? Open this damn gate right now!" Dallas ordered, trying to open the gate.

"Dallas, it's going to be okay," Kenny reassured him, turning back to look at him.

"No Kenny, it's not going to be okay, please don't leave me," Dallas begged, watching the walkers get closer and closer.

"This is something that I have to do, you know that," Kenny told him, his face full of sorrow.

"Please…" Dallas began to cry, refusing to believe that he was about to lose another one of his friends, his family.

"Go get Clem," Kenny told him, turning to face the walkers face on.

"No!" Dallas screamed, watching as the first walker stumbled towards Kenny, who shot it in the head when it got to close.

"Get back you sons of bitches!" he screamed, firing off another shot.

"Godammit Kenny!" Dallas shouted, shaking the gate again. Kenny was slowly pushed back into the alley until he was out if Dallas' sight, letting off another gunshot.

"Godammit son, what do you think you're-" Chuck began to shout, before a gunshot cut him off. All Dallas could do was listen as the walkers reached Chuck and Kenny, listening to their flesh being ripped from their bodies, as they were slowly devoured. The only plus side he could see was that he didn't have to watch, as two more of his friends died. Climbing back up the ladder, Dallas found Carley, Lee and Molly all standing around, waiting for the return of their friends.

"Where are they? Are they right behind you?" Lee asked, looking past Dallas to look at the ladder.

"They're gone, both of them," Dallas replied, staring down at the ground.

"What the fuck happened down there?" Molly asked, running over to Dallas to make sure he was okay.

"There were too many of them, too many for us to handle. Chuck was in really bad shape, we couldn't save him and… I don't know. That's all there is," Dallas answered, letting Molly pull him into a hug.

"Godamn, fuck," Lee cursed, walking away to stand by himself.

"We heard a shot. Who was it?" Carley asked, watching Lee as he stood apart from the group.

"It was Kenny. I think he ended Chuck's life, so that he didn't have to turn," Dallas replied, looking up at Carley sadly.

"You mean…" Molly began to say, having already pulled away from Dallas.

"Kenny had a couple bullets left, but he used them all up, saving the last one to save Chuck," Dallas finished for her.

"So you saw them die?" Carley asked, moving closer to Dallas.

"Nobody was getting out of that," Dallas replied, looking up to meet her gaze.

"I'm sorry Dallas, we know how much he meant to you," Molly said, looking over at him sadly.

"We've been together since day one of this shit storm. Now he's gone." Everyone looked around at each other, not sure what to say to lighten the mood, to make everything okay.

"We should go," Lee said, walking away along the roof, with Carley not far behind him.

"Right behind you," Dallas said, walking alongside Molly, the group of four making their way along the rooftops, away from the dead bodies of their supposed dead friends, and towards Clementine.

* * *

**...So yeah. There was at least one death that didn't change... And then there's Chuck... Isn't this fun .-.**

**So yeah, I wonder how many of you were expecting Chuck to die? I didn't do as much with him as I had hoped, but I tried at least :)**

**Four chapters left guys... FOUR CHAPTERS AHH**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter, I thought it was really cute and stuff, so yeah ^_^**

**Farewell for now my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**

**PS. I will more than likely be finishing this story today, if not tomorrow, so be prepared.**


	57. Chapter 57 - No One is Safe

The group walked in silence as they made their way across the rooftops of Savannah, all the previous losses too much for any of them to handle. Lee and Carley were currently holding hands, using each other's comfort as they led the group towards the Marsh House. Molly was right behind them, staring out to the horizon as the sun slowly started to decide, the light slowly starting to disappear. Dallas was taking up the rear, staring down at his feet as he walked, not wanting to face what was ahead, not after all the people he just lost. For all he knew, Death was just around the corner, waiting to claim yet another life on this day, waiting to take one more person away from this earth, if not all of them.

"Do you want to talk?" Molly asked, falling in step with Dallas.

"What is there to talk about? Ben was devoured back in the house, and then both Kenny and Chuck faced the same fate. Lee is visibly getting worse by the minute, which means that he's getting closer to death. Who knows how long we're going to be alive ourselves," Dallas replied, moving his eyes from the ground to look at her, his face grim.

"You know you can't think like that. In the world we're living in right now, bad things are bound to happen to people, we can't control that. It's just like Kenny was saying before, back in the house. Stick it out for as long as possible, take care of those that you still have. You can't let all this death get you down. Besides, you have a little girl waiting for you, you can't let her down now, not when you're so close," Molly told him, knowing that the way he was talking led to bad things.

"…you're not a machine Lee," they heard Carley say in front of them, the pair shifting their attention to the couple.

"I said I'm fine, okay," he reassured her, stumbling on his feet a little.

"Look at you, you're not fine, you need to rest. You took care of me before, so now let me take care of you," Carley insisted, but Lee ignored her, continuing to walk until they reached a bridge.

"Be careful guys, who knows how flimsy this thing is," Molly warned the group, moving ahead to check the bridge was sturdy enough to be crossed. Lee and Carley crossed after her, being careful where they placed their feet, just in case the bridge decided to give way. Dallas was the last one to get on the bridge, making slow progress across as he looked down at the ground. Below them was a mass amount of walkers, all of them roaming around aimlessly, looking for their next easy meal. Steeling himself, he continued across the bridge, making it to the other side to meet the rest of his group, who were all waiting for him to arrive.

"River Street should be just up ahead," Lee said, leading the group further along the rooftops. As they continued along, they soon came across an opening in one of the roofs, stopping by it to have a look inside. When the all looked down, they found a medium sized group of walkers moving about, not noticing the fresh meat just standing right above their heads.

"They've made it inside so many buildings," Molly sighed, watching a walker pass by under her.

"And they still don't know when they're going to be getting their next meal," Molly pointed out, everyone nodding their head's in agreement.

"No, they don't," Lee said, glaring down at the walkers.

"Shit, I didn't mean…" Molly trailed off, looking away from the hole.

"It's okay, don't worry. Let's get going," Lee said, moving the group away from the hole, continuing along the roof. Before long, when the group jumped down to yet another new rooftop, a large building came into view, a large sign saying 'The Marsh House' placed on the front.

"There it is, The Marsh House. Not long now," Dallas announced, moving to the edge of the roof. Everyone walked over to join him, looking down at the walker infested street, watching every corner get filled with a dead body.

"There's only one way across," Lee said, standing near a large metal sign, which looked like it could be used as a makeshift bridge.

"I guess it's better than that death trap we crossed before," Molly pointed out with a chuckle.

"So, who's going first?" Carley asked, looking at her companions.

"I'll go first, just in case something happens," Dallas offered, stepping up to the bridge.

"Are you sure?" Carley questioned, stepping up to stand beside him.

"Sure as can be," he replied, stepping out to cross the bridge. Taking a deep breath, he jumped down to the small ledge on the side of the sign and started to shuffle along, making slow progress across.

"I'll go next," Lee said, stepping up to go down.

"Maybe I should go next," Carley offered, moving stand in front of him.

"No, it's okay, I can do it, you stay here. If anything happens, I love you," he said, leaning down to kiss her, before jumping down to the bridge, following behind Dallas.

"I love you too," she called after him, watching her husband and friend make their way across. Every step they took made the sign shudder more and more, scaring them every time it did, afraid that it was about to collapse underneath them. As if they were jinxed, the sign let out a very loud creak, collapsing on them when they were nearing the end. Dallas quickly moved as far as he could to leave Lee room to hold on, but they just weren't quick enough, as the sign fell away, leaving Lee dangling on the edge.

"Guys!" Molly shouted, running to the edge to join a scared Carley.

"Take my hand!" Dallas shouted, pulling Lee towards him so that they could both grasp onto what was left of the sign.

"Are you guys okay?" Molly shouted across to them, looking at her now trapped friends.

"We're fine. We're just kinda fucked right now!" Dallas shouted back, looking over to check on Lee.

"What are you gonna do now?" Carley questioned, watching her husband worriedly.

"I don't know about Lee, but I'm going to keep moving, Clem's been with that psycho for long enough," Dallas said, looking down at the walkers moving around below them.

"You don't mean going through the streets do you?" Molly questioned, watching him in disbelief.

"That is exactly what it means. I don't have any other options here," Dallas shouted back.

"You can't be serious? Lee, talk some sense into him," Carley yelled, watching as her husband bowed his head in defeat.

"He's right, there's no other choice," he told her, nodding to Dallas. "I'm already bit Carley, I am the best guy for the job. If we can figure out some way for Dallas to get through as well, we'll be fine."

"You can't do this to me, please," Carley begged, kneeling down to move closer to the edge.

"You and I both knew it was going to be a long shot that I survived this, we can't risk any more time. Clementine needs to be saved now," Lee said.

"We'll be fine. Just get out of the city, go to the outskirts and wait out in the countryside. We'll come find you," Dallas shouted, looking out to the horizon where he could see endless fields.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Carley yelled, tears running down her cheeks.

"Just do it okay? We'll be there as soon as we get Clem, we promise," Dallas reassured her with a smile.

"Take good care of her Molly, don't let her get hurt," Lee said, gazing up at Molly. Nodding her head, Molly took Carley by the arm and pulled her to her feet, pulling her away.

"Come on, let's go, we'll find them later," Molly told her, pulling her away from the edge.

"Good luck boys! I love you Lee!" Carley shouted, before thy disappeared from view, heading off to the countryside, waiting for the boys to arrive.

"Now to get down there and figure out how I'm getting through that," Dallas said, leading Lee down a nearby ladder that led into the street.

"How are you going to get through there without being noticed?" Lee asked, when they both reached the ground, walking around to look down the street at the walkers.

"I can't, it's impossible," Dallas told him, walking out into the middle of the street.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Lee asked, walking over to stand beside him.

"Wing it," Dallas replied, pulling his machete out of his sheath as he walked towards the walkers, before Lee grabbed him by the arm, pulling him back.

"You can't be serious?" Lee asked, letting go of Dallas' arm when he saw the angry, but serious look on his face.

"Someone kidnapped Clementine, someone took her away from me. You better believe I'm fucking serious. Now, get that meat cleaver out and follow me. It's going to take a whole lot of luck to get through this," Dallas told Lee, walking back towards the walkers, as Lee pulled his meat cleaver out, ready to go.

"We are so going to die," Lee said, as the first walker noticed them approaching. Without hesitation, Dallas swung his weapon into its head, killing it instantly, continuing to walk once it fell to the ground. Ahead of them, a few more had noticed that they were coming, and started walking towards them, their arms outstretched. Lee swung his meat cleaver at one of the walkers as Dallas did the same with his machete, dodging any walkers that they didn't take down. As they continued through the crowd, more and more walkers started to notice them, all of them slowly starting to surround them as they made slow progress through them.

"I'm starting to think this wasn't a good idea!" Dallas shouted above the loud groans of the walkers, sticking his weapon into the skull of one of them.

"You don't say!" Lee shouted back, slicing the top half of a walkers head off. The pair continued to hack, slash, slice and everything else you could do with a sharp object, covering each other like a well-oiled machine, only coming close to trouble a few times.

"It's going better than expected," Dallas said, killing a walker that was coming up behind Lee.

"At least we're not dead yet," Lee agreed, chopping off the head of a walker that got to close to Dallas. They killed each and every one without hesitation, mowing them down easily, as they made a path to their destination, which was getting closer. Every time they killed a walker, some of its blood spilled onto their clothes, making them smell worse and worse as they moved along, probably smelling more walker than human by the time the Marsh House came into view.

"We're almost there," Dallas shouted, kicking a walker out of the way so that he could move on.

"Thank god, these things stink!" Lee yelled back, punching a walker in the jaw.

"Hypocrite!" Dallas joked, killing another walker. Soon, the pair had made it to the front of the Marsh House, somehow managing to survive a whole herd of walkers.

"Remind me to never piss you off," Lee said, moving up to the front doors.

"I think I know who took Clementine," Dallas said, stopping in his tracks. Lee turned around to move back over to Dallas, following his gaze to look at something nearby. It finally dawned on him when he realised what Dallas was looking. He was looking at a car, a very familiar one at that. A car they stole from the week before.

* * *

**Here we go ladies and gents, the big showdown :D**

**Three chapters to go, how scary is that D:**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and are ready for the next one to come around soon!**

**Farewell for now my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	58. Chapter 58 - Let Me Go

Why do I always have to be so naïve? This is the question that had been running through Clementine's mind for the past couple of hours, ever since that strange man had taken her away from the house. When she had been told that he knew where Dallas was, she jumped at the chance of seeing her guardian again, picking up her walkie talkie and running down the stairs, being careful not to wake anyone as she went down. When she reached the yard, the man was there, waiting for her. However, when she approached him, he put some kind of cloth over her mouth, making her feel sleeping as he lifted her into his arms, her hat falling off of her head as he did so. When she woke up, she found herself lying on a bed, in what seemed to be a hotel room. Looking around, she found that the man was nowhere in sight and took her chance, running over to the nearby door to escape, but he had been waiting on the other side, a warm smile on his face. He started spouting off nonsense about how she was safe now, how now that she was with him, no one would be able to hurt her. She had told him that she just wanted to go back to Dallas, so that she could find her parents, but he had refused, getting angry when she had brought her guardian up. Ever since then, he had just been staring out the window, like he was waiting for something to happen, like he was waiting for someone to arrive.

"Please, I just want to be with Dallas. He's worried about me, I'm sure of it," Clementine pleaded once more, her legs pulled up to her chest as she sat on the bed.

"I can't let you go back to him honey, I won't let it happen. Besides, I'm sure he isn't far away from arriving here actually," the man said, moving away from the bed to kneel down in front of her, looking at her with a smile.

"Why are you doing this? What did he do to you?" she asked, wiping tears out of her eyes.

"It isn't just him. It's your entire group that is to blame. Because of them, I lost everything, and now, I have nothing. Do you understand?" the man asked, looking like he was becoming angry.

"What did we do to you? How did you lose everything?" she questioned, sitting up a little straighter to listen to him.

"Do you remember a station wagon, out in the forest? Your group found it a couple weeks ago. What did they do with it?" he asked, sounding like he already knew the answer.

"They took everything that was in there, saying they needed for us to survive," Clementine answered, watching as the man smiled at her answer.

"It was full of all sorts too. Food, water, things you need to survive, like you said. I'm not some cannibal Clementine, like Dallas or Lee probably think. Not some random killer out in the woods, some…villain. I'm just a dad, that's all. I coach little league," he told her, moving to sit on the bed beside her.

"I used to do little league, it was fun," Clementine said, trying to think of a way she could get herself out of here.

"It was definitely the highlight of my weekend, watching my son play," the man smiled, patting the spot next to him, watching as Clementine moved over slowly to sit next to him.

"But why are you doing all this to Dallas? He didn't want to take from you, he was against it, he didn't agree with what they were doing," Clementine told him, defending her guardian.

"I know little girl, but he still stood by and let it happen, which is just as bad as helping," he told her, his smile never leaving his face.

"If he comes here to get me, and you talk, will you let me go then?" she asked, looking up into his pained eyes.

"I need him to know what happened. What stealing from my car caused," he said, ignoring her words to stand up from the bed and walk away.

"What did happen?" she asked, shifting herself so that she was sitting on the edge of the bed, her legs dangling off the side.

"First, let me start with something else. Your friend, Lee, hurt someone. His wife. I remember you telling me that," the man said, pacing back and forth, glancing at a nearby bowling bag every so often.

"Yeah, so?" she asked, looking at the bag herself whenever he wasn't looking at her.

"I hurt someone as well, someone I care about. My son, Adam, went missing a while back. I'd taken him out with me to go hunting, even though my wife told me I shouldn't, said he was too young. I thought that he should learn how," he told her, stopping in his tracks to stare at the bag. "When I came back without him, the look she gave me... it just screamed "You're a monster."

"What happened next?" she asked, standing up from the bed, glancing at the gun on the nearby counter.

"Me, my wife and my daughter took the car and went out looking for him. We never found him though, he was nowhere. God, I hurt her so bad," he sniffed, as he started to cry a little. "We went out to search without the car, the woods were too dense for us to drive through. When we came back, all of our stuff was gone, taken by your group. Your people. That man in the cap, Kenny. His stupid wife."

"They only did it because they were thinking about us. Kenny is really nice," Clementine argued, slowly walking over to the counter nearby, making sure he didn't notice her moving.

"I could've earned my wife's trust back, slowly but surely, if your group hadn't stolen from us, making our situation all the more desperate," he snapped, almost instantly regretting his tone of voice.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed, letting fake tears fall from her eyes, distracting him from her movements.

"It's okay honey, you didn't mean it," he reassured her with a smile, turning back to look at the bag before continuing his story. "Since then, the hungrier we got, the angrier she got, and the more she started to blame me for everything. It got so bad, that one day, she took my daughter, Elizabeth, and left me, just walked away."

"What happened to them?" Clementine asked, inching towards the counter, only being a few steps away now.

"They didn't end up getting very far actually. I found them, a day or so later, in the middle of the road…" he trailed off, moving his gaze to look at Clementine, a sad look on his face, as he slumped into the nearby armchair. "Do I look like a monster to you?"

"Isn't everyone a monster in the end?" Clementine asked, meeting his gaze evenly.

"I guess you're right," he agreed, smiling at her. "You know, for a little girl, you think like an adult. I like that."

"You have to grow up quickly if you want to survive in this world. Dallas taught me that," Clementine admitted, her eyes unblinking.

"Of course he did," the man scoffed, turning to look at the bag once more. The moment he looked away she lunged for the gun and took it off of the counter, aiming it right at him.

"Anything else he did wrong?" she asked, walking towards him, since he hadn't seemed to notice her yet.

"He walked you into a dairy full of sick people, and he let them get their hands on you. How is that not a bad thing to do?" he questioned, hiding his head in his hands.

"He was only trying to keep me safe. Everyone thought that it was safe there, protected," she answered, slowly moving towards him, her hands shaking as she moved closer.

"He brought you into this city, and then brought you into that horrible place. You could've died!" he exclaimed, shaking his head furiously.

"He didn't want to leave me alone at the house. We're a team. I would've followed him either way," she argued, almost standing behind his chair.

"You would've been better off!" he screamed, catching Clementine by surprise. He turned around to look at her and realised she had his gun, but his facial expression didn't change, as he stood up to face her.

"I don't care how dangerous it was, or how dangerous the world out there is. All I care about is being able to stay with Dallas, being able to help him," she said, placing her finger on the trigger, her hands shaking slightly. "If you just let me leave, I can go find him. You won't ever hear from us again, I promise."

"I can't let you do that Clementine. You go out there, and you will die. He won't be out there, waiting for you with open arms. For all you know, he's probably dead," he told her, stalking towards her slowly, making her back up a little.

"That's not true. He's coming for me, he'll be here soon. He'll save me," she sobbed, tears falling down her face again.

"You have to listen to me honey. That boy, he doesn't care about, at all. If he did, he would've been here by now to save you, to take you back. But where is he? He isn't here is he?" he asked, pushing her back with every step he took.

"Stop it!" she shrieked, wiping the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her jumper.

"I can't believe I only just realised you're wearing Adam's jumper. Another thing Dallas did. Stole the last thing I had left of my son. Further proof that he is a horrible person, and doesn't deserve to take care of you," he pointed out, backing Clementine up against the window.

"Please…" she begged, her cheeks stained with tears. He looked out the window and something caught his eye, making him smile. He snatched the gun out of Clementine's hands and started moving her over to the nearby closet, shoving her inside.

"Stay in there and be quiet," he ordered. Clementine nodded her head, wiping more tears out of her eyes before he closed the door on her, plunging her into darkness. She continued to just stand there for what seemed like an age, wondering why he had put her in there when he did. Had he seen something outside to spook him? Was someone coming? Was Dallas coming? As if on cue, she could hear the door for the room swing open, listening as multiple footsteps could be heard. She could hear the footsteps slowly approach the door, slowly getting closer and closer, which could only mean that she was close to freedom. She hoped.

"I got us adjoining rooms." It was the man. The people who had entered the room had been caught before they could do anything to free her, she was so close.

"Where is she?" It was Dallas! He had come to save her, and he was right outside the door.

"I already told you, she's fine," she heard the man answer.

"If you hurt her…" she heard another voice say, which sounded like Lee, she was bound to get out of here now.

"You know what I'm thinking? You're missing an arm," the man said, confusing Clementine. Who was missing an arm? "Go over there."

"Okay, okay. Just don't shoot anyone," Clementine heard Dallas say, listening to his footsteps grow softer as he moved away from the door.

"Put your things down," she heard the man order, probably telling them to give up any weapons they might have. Deciding now was the time to try and get help, she moved close to the door, ready to call out.

"Hello? Who's out there? Please let me out," she begged, banging on the door for good measure.

"Quiet, please, sweetie," she heard the man say, which could only mean he was threatening them with a gun. 'Your things, there."

"Fine." Clementine heard a few things clatter onto the counter and then everything went silent, making her wonder what was going on. After that, she couldn't hear anything else, the conversation becoming too quiet for her to hear, to understand what was going on. She listened as footsteps moved over towards where she thought the chairs were sitting. Next thing she knew, the man was repeating the speech that he gave her just before, bringing up everything that she had said, most of Dallas' responses mirroring her own.

"You're a monster Dallas. And you Lee, you're a murderer and a thief. I'm going to hurt you both so bad," she heard him say, not remembering him saying anything like that before.

"Please, just give me Clementine back, you won't ever hear from us again, I swear," she heard Dallas say, almost begging him.

"I'd rather kill her myself. Because that's what will happen if she goes with you," she heard the man tell him, making her gasp in shock. "After I found Clementine on my radio, I wasn't even mad at you. I was coming for the others. For revenge."

"You fucker…" Clementine heard Lee say, sounding like he was starting to get angry.

"But the more I heard the things you both were doing and the danger she was always in. Our plans change," the man explained. We? There was just him. Wasn't there? "Dallas, Lee, listen to me. I need you to hear this before what happens next. I can take care of her. We can have a family. I bet you don't even know how old she is."

"She's eight," she heard Dallas say. Nine, not eight, nine. How could she forget to tell him it was her birthday already?

"Wrong. She's nine. Her birthday was six days ago," she heard the man explain. In her frustration, she kicked the door and felt it give a little, curious as to what was holding it in place. "I know how to be a dad, you know. She wouldn't be exposed to what she has been with you."

"That's not happening. You're crazy," Clementine heard Dallas, using his no bullshit tone of voice that he used on her when she refused to do something he told her to do. She tested the door slightly, feeling it move a little under her touch.

"Keeping her with you two is crazy," he heard the man growl.

"Just let us go," Clementine heard Lee say, sounding like he had calmed down a little.

"No, no, I don't think so," she heard the man say with an annoyed tone of voice. "You're going away and we're starting a new family."

"If you think that-" Dallas began to say, before he stopped, making Clementine wonder what was going on out there, as she pulled the door open a little more.

"Hey honey, I think this is all going to work out," Clementine heard the man say. Knowing now was the time to get out, Clementine pulled the door, feeling it slowly swing open at her touch, whatever was holding closed falling away. She slowly opened the door and stepped out, a small smile appearing on her face as she looked over at the chairs, seeing Lee and Dallas looking back at her. Dallas moved his eyes to look at a nearby lamp, telling her with his eyes to use it as a weapon. Nodding her head, she crept over to the counter and picked up the lamp quietly, turning around to face the man in the chair.

"Who are you talking to?" Lee asked, watching as Clementine slowly walked over, making sure to not make any noise as she did.

"I hate seeing you like this. I just miss your smile honey," the man continued, ignoring Lee's question. "I miss you so much Tess. You're going to like Clementine a lot though. She's not Lizzy, but she's sweet. She wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Now!" Dallas shouted, just as Clementine reached the man's chair. Taking the cue, she swing the lamp against his head, stunning him momentarily. Using this chance, Dallas jumped at the man and knocked him to the ground, trying to wrestle the gun out of his hand before he could use it.

"Dallas!" Lee shouted, running over to help. Helping Dallas get the man off of him, the pair pushed him away, knocking him into the bed nearby. Not wasting a single moment, he jumped back to his feet and started moving to the other side of the room, knocking Lee to the ground as he made his way over to his gun, which he dropped when he was thrown. Not giving him the chance, Dallas jumped to his feet and pushed the man, shoving him up against the nearby cabinet. When the man tried to fight back by putting his hands around his neck, Dallas retaliated by head butting the man in the face, stunning him again. Not wasting any time, Dallas stuck his hands around the man's throat, squeezing as hard as he could, cutting off the man's airways. Slowly but surely, the man started to struggle less and less, losing breath quickly. Becoming frantic, he shoved Dallas backwards onto the ground, jumping on top of him instantly to give him the same treatment he was just given.

"You son of a bitch," the man cursed, pressing his thumbs against Dallas' throat as hard as he could. He continued to press as hard as he could against Dallas' throat, slowly killing him, leaving Dallas defenceless to stop him. Suddenly, without warning, a gun was fired and the bullet passed right through the man's skull, killing him instantly, causing his body to collapse on top of Dallas. Pushing the man off, Dallas looked up to see Clementine, holding the man's gun in her hands, lowering it down after shooting him. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, taking each other in, just being in each other's presence. Then, Clementine dropped the gun and burst into tears, running into Dallas' arms, hugging him as tightly as she could.

"It's okay, it's okay. Hush now, you're okay," he crooned, rubbing her back comfortingly as her tears ran down his back, through his shirt.

"I...I killed him," she said, pulling away to look Dallas in the eyes, her own eyes starting to dry up.

"I know you did Clem, you did good. You only ever do that when they are bad people, understand?" Dallas said, giving her a hard look. When she nodded her understanding, they heard Lee groan nearby, watching as he got to his feet, showing off his new stump.

"Your arm's gone…why? That's so scary…" she said, staring at the place where Lee's arm used to be.

"He had an accident. We'll talk about it once we get somewhere safe, I promise," Dallas told her, standing up to stretch his sore limbs.

"You guys smell," she stated, scrunching up her face.

"I know, I know, we had a few problems getting here," he told her, smiling down at her sadly. "He didn't hurt you did he?"

"No, he didn't, not really…" Clementine trailed off, her eyes tearing up a little again. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Dallas."

"Don't worry Clem, it's okay. We just need to get you somewhere safe. After that, we need to have a talk, okay?" he asked her, giving her a very stern look.

"Yeah, okay,," she replied, looking down at her shoes.

"Everything's okay now, don't worry guys. We just need to figure out how we are going to escape Savannah as fast as possible," Lee told them, walking over to the exit door. Picking up the man's gun, he slipped it into his pocket, turning around to face Clementine, a question forming in his mind.

"So, you weren't afraid were you?" he asked, looking down at her.

"I was actually," she replied, taking Dallas' hand as they walked over to join Lee.

"Well, you did a very good job of hiding it," he praised , watching Lee turn the handle of the door.

"I wasn't before, but I am now," she said, tightening her grip on his hand, just as Lee swung the door open, to reveal a walker on the other side. At first, Lee was just about ready to kill the thing, but when the walker didn't make a move to attack him, he stood frozen to the spot, not making any sudden moves. Dallas stared at the walker as it started to look past Lee, noticing Clementine nearby, making it slowly pace forward.

"Move!" Dallas shouted, aiming the gun at the walkers head and firing, just as Lee jumped out of the line of fire. The walker fell to the ground and Dallas walked up to it to finish the job, just in case, but found there were no bullets left, forcing him to throw it to the ground, since it was now useless.

"It.. it didn't bite you. Why didn't it bite you?" Clementine asked, walking over to help Lee get to his feet.

"Yeah…I know it…must've…" Lee trailed off, having trouble forming a proper sentence.

"You're both covered in that gross stuff," Clementine finished for him, looking between the two.

"We had to get through a whole lot of them to get here…" Lee started, slowly realising what this meant.

"…and they didn't even notice us with all their blood on us," Dallas continued, smiling at how awesome that sounded.

"That's how we'll get out of Savannah," Clementine finished with a smile, which slowly turned into a frown as she realised what that meant.

"Exactly." Dallas walked back over to the nearby counter and picked up the machete and the meat cleaver, walking back over to hand the latter back to Lee.

"This is going to be gross," Clementine stated, stepping away from the walker as Dallas walked over to it, his machete still in hand.

"You don't know the half of it," Dallas agreed, kneeling down next to the walker. Deciding to get it over with as quickly as possible, he sliced open the walker's stomach and stuck his hand in, trying not to vomit as he felt it's insides between his fingers. He lifted some out of the body, and almost purged, but control himself, turning to face Clementine.

"Do we have to do this?" Clementine asked him, looking down at the walker's entrails.

"Sorry Clem," he said, before lifting up the bloody intestines to smear all down her front, like painting a picture, but with blood. Once he was done with the front, he asked her to turn around so that he could start smearing the back of her as well, the entrails squelching a little as they moved up and down her back.

"Are you done yet?" she asked when she felt Dallas drop the guts to the ground.

"Just a little more, I need to be sure they can't smell you," Dallas told her, smearing a little more down her front when she turned back around to face him. "There, that should help get us out of here."

"I hope so, I smell so bad," Clementine wretched, looking like she was barely able to handle the smell.

"You're missing something, one final touch," Dallas said, scratching his chin in thought.

"What's that?" she asked, looking up at him curiously.

"This." He lifted Clementine's hat off of his head and readjusted the strap on the back, handing it over to her.

"I thought it was gone," she said excitedly, putting it on her head, smiling up at Dallas.

"Let's get going," Lee said, walking out the door into the hall. Dallas took Clementine by the hand and they started walking out, making their way over to the staircase of the hotel.

"When we get out there, I want you to stay right next to me and Lee and walk very slowly. Don't look around at the walkers and don't panic when you see them moving around you. We'll keep you safe, don't worry," Dallas reassured her, following Lee into the stairwell, making their way down to the ground floor. Soon, they made to the bottom floor and were stepping out the front doors, moving towards the large herd of walkers waiting in the street. Not wasting any time, the threesome moved into the crowd and started to shuffle along, finding any space they could, trying to avoid touching any walkers as they went. As they walker, many walkers cross right through their path, not even noticing that there were three humans among them, three meals just waiting to be eaten if they took a wrong step. Clementine looked around fearfully at all the walkers around her, trying her best not to make any noise, as her grasp on Dallas grew tighter and tighter with every step. When they were halfway through their journey, having walked for at least ten minutes or so, Clementine looked through the walkers and spotted something, stopping in her tracks and letting go of Dallas' hand as she did. Dallas grabbed Lee's arm getting to stop, wondering why Clementine might be stopping. Clementine's lip started to quiver as she stared at a walker nearby, a very familiar walker at that.

"What's going on?" Lee whispered, looking like he was about to faint.

"It's Diana, Clementine's mother." Standing nearby was indeed a walker, Clementine's mother, just staring back at her daughter with empty eyes.

"Clem, don't look, we have to keep going," Dallas told her, trying to pull her away.

"Dallas…" Turning around, Dallas watch as Lee stumbled towards him, falling down to the ground with a soft thud, to lay unconscious on the street.

"Lee!" Clementine shrieked when she saw Lee falling, but closed her mouth when she realised where they were. Dallas moved down to pick him up, putting his arm around his shoulder to get him out of there, just as thunder cracked across the sky, meaning rain was on the way.

"Clem, we need to find a place to hide, now!" Dallas exclaimed quietly scanning around the area for somewhere to hide. Clementine looked around the street, trying to find some place they could hide, spotting a good place nearby.

"The jewellery store! Quickly!" she said, pointing to a nearby store, the roller door slightly open for them to get inside.

"Good job." Clementine moved over to help Dallas, taking Lee's other side, running over to the jewellery store, escaping the oncoming storm.

* * *

**God that was a bloody long chapter :P**

**Hope you all enjoyed this Chapter, it is one of my favourites of my whole story, just because of Clem ^_^**

**Two chapters left D:**

**I'll have a giant big note in the final chapter coming up, so yeah, there's that :)**

**Farewell for now my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	59. Chapter 59 - Something Else to Lose

"Quick, close the door," Dallas order, placing Lee on the ground. Nodding her head, Clementine pulled the door the rest of the way down, slamming it into the floor, jamming it shut. Turning around she moved over to Lee's other side, kneeling down at look at his greying face.

"Is he dead?" she asked, examining the rest of his body, noticing how weak he looked.

"I don't think so, not yet anyway, he still has a pulse," Dallas answered, feeling the side of his neck for a heartbeat. Not wanting to lose one of her friends, Clementine grabbed Lee by the shoulders and started to shake him, trying to wake him up.

"Lee, wake up! Please wake up! Don't be dead, please don't be dead," she begged, shaking his shoulders as hard as she could. After a few seconds, Lee's eyes slowly started to blink open, looking up to meet both Clementine's and Dallas' scared eyes.

"Lee! God you scared us out there, we thought you were dead, or worse," Dallas sniffed, a couple of tears in his eyes.

"I…know…" Lee whispered, trying to regain consciousness.

"I saw my parents…" Dallas and Lee looked over at Clementine, her eyes watering up at the memory of seeing her mother.

"Come here Clem," Dallas said, pulling her around to sit beside him, wrapping his arms around her.

"They're dead, they're really dead. I always knew they were, but I guess I refused to believe it," she said, crying into Dallas' shoulder. Lee pushed himself up to his elbows to look up at the pair sitting next to him, looking like he was trying to say something.

"Clementine, Dallas, we have to get out of here… as fast as we can," he panted, having trouble breathing properly.

"But we can't, there's too many of them out there, we can't get through that," Dallas argued, letting Clementine pull away from him so that she could walk over to the nearby door.

"We have no choice Dallas. We can protect her, we can push through," Lee insisted, trying to move himself up a little more.

"No Lee, that's crazy, we wouldn't survive! We saved you, we're safe in here, the door is locked, we can't get out," Clementine told him, kicking the door.

"We need to get that door open. Now," he told her, trying to get up but ended up falling back down.

"But I can't," Clementine told him, shaking her head.

"Do it!" Lee shouted, scaring her a little.

"Don't shout at her, she's telling the truth, it's stuck," Dallas snapped, nodding to Clementine to show him. She tried lifting the door up to open it, but it wouldn't budge, refusing to open for them.

"Dallas, it's time she knew," Lee said, pulling himself to his feet to lean on the nearby counter, looking over at the two kids he had grown to love like children.

"Are you sure?" Dallas asked, giving him a worried look. Nodding his head, Lee took a deep breath and turned his attention to Clementine, hoping she wouldn't freak out to much.

"My arm is missing, because I had Carley cut it off," Lee explained, moving to get closer to Clementine, stumbling to his knees to be in front of her.

"Why would you want to do that?" she questioned, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"Because I was bitten Clem." Clementine opened her eyes in shock, looking up to Dallas for confirmation, but all he could do was avoid her gaze, stepping away to hide his face.

"Please, no, it can't be true. You're lying," she said, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Yes, it is. Don't worry, you'll be fine. You have Dallas, you've always had Dallas, I was just along for the ride," he told her, a smile creeping onto his face.

"But you're dying aren't you? I don't want to lose someone else, I can't," she sobbed, refusing to listen.

"We're going to get out of here, and you and Dallas are going to go find the others, you'll be fine. We just have to go now, okay?" Lee asked, looking into her eyes.

"Okay," she replied, using her sleeve to wipe away the tears.

"Guys, I think I found another way out," Dallas called over, pointing through a nearby window. Clementine ran over to look through, seeing a door nearby at the other end of the room. Unfortunately, there was also a walker waiting for them as well, trapped and unable to move, as it watched them moving about.

"Good job. We should get going, I might be a little slow, so you guys get over there and try to figure out how to get in," Lee said, stumbling over to the counter to lean on it, making his way down to the nearby door.

"I'll help you Lee, don't worry. Clem, go get that door open," Dallas order, running over to stand beside Lee. Nodding her head, she ran over to the door, looking inside at the walker. She tried to turn the door handle, but it wouldn't budge, meaning they were locked out.

"It's locked," she called over, watching Lee slowly shuffle towards them.

"Find some way to open it then," Dallas said, moving alongside Lee slowly. Clementine started to move about, looking for way to break her way in, spotting a baseball bat nearby. She ran right over to it and went back, ready to smash the window in. Just as she swung the bat at the door's window, she heard more glass shatter nearby, turning to find that Lee had pushed too hard against the glass cabinet, pushing his hand right through.

"Fuck!" he screamed, pulling his hand out to collapse to the ground.

"Lee!" Clementine shouted, making to run over before Dallas put up his hand to stop her.

"Just focus on getting us out of here Clem, I'll get the glass out of his hand," Dallas told her, turning back to focus on Lee. Sighing, she moved back over to the door, sliding a nearby chair over so that she could reach through the door, unlocking the door to get through. She looked over to Dallas and Lee, who were busy removing glass from Lee's hand, then she looked back at the door. Courage rising in her chest, she turned the handle and opened the door, swinging it open to look at the walker inside. It was time to prove herself. She stepped into the room and walked towards the walker, staying just out of his reach. Looking down at the ground, she noticed some handcuffs on the ground, an idea forming in her head. She moved over to the handcuffs and moved back over to the walker, opening them up, ready to trap him. Without hesitation, she jumped at the walker and slipped the handcuffs around its arm, slipping the other half onto the place it was trapped on. Sighing in relief, she quickly grabbed the keys and gun off its belt, walking out of the room with both, to find Dallas and Lee back on their feet again.

"Look what I got," she said proudly, showing off the gun and keys.

"Good job Clem," Dallas praised, helping Lee towards the door. Just as they moved off of the counter, Lee let go of Dallas and fell to the ground, falling on his side.

"Lee!" Dallas and Clementine ran to his side, helping him up so that he could lean against the wall.

"Are you okay?" Dallas asked, looking into Lee's dying eyes.

"Guys, you have to go, it's not safe to stay," he told them, coughing up blood as he spoke.

"We can't leave you here Lee, please," Clementine begged, taking a hold of his hand.

"You have to Clem, you have no choice," he told her, his eyes fluttering closed.

"My parents are gone…Katjaa and Duck are gone…even Lilly…" Clementine trailed off, continuing the tears she was shedding not that long ago.

"We know Clem," Dallas said, watching her closely.

"And now you? Please Lee…please don't become one of them, you can't die," she sniffed, looking at him with her big brown eyes.

"There's only one thing you can do to stop that, you know that," Lee told her, glancing at Dallas.

"You can't expect me to do that Lee," Dallas argued, refusing to listen to what he was saying.

"You have to shoot me, you have to stop me from coming back as a walker. That's all I ask," he said, his breath rasping as he spoke.

"Please Lee, no," Clementine begged, shaking her head.

"Clem, Dallas. It's time for both of you to go, time to get the hell out of here," Lee said, nodding to the exit door.

"You could come with us, we could find a way to cure you we…" Dallas trailed off, as Lee shook his head at him.

"You know it's too late for that, I'd never make it," Lee said, coughing up more blood down his shirt.

"I'll do it, I'll make sure you don't become a walker," Clementine promised, standing up to face Lee, the gun in her hand.

"No Clem, you don't have to that, I can-" Dallas began to say, before he noticed Lee shaking his head at him, telling him to be quiet.

"If you really want to, you can do it. You just need to always remember, both of you, that violence can never be your first choice. You have to always find another way. If there is no other option, then do it. Otherwise, keep fighting to stay alive, to stay sane," he told them, his head nodding down, as if he were fighting off sleep.

"We'll leave as soon as it's done. We'll go as fast as we can to find the others," Dallas promised, looking over at Clementine, who had stopped crying.

"And be as safe as you can. Always stay as safe as you can," Lee told them, closing his eyes in pain. "You have to find the others, find Molly an Carley, keep them safe."

"We know. We'll keep Carley safe, we promise," Dallas said, smiling down at Lee.

"Thank you. And remember, Clem, Dallas. Always keep moving, never stay in one spot for too long," he said, his eyes fluttering open a little.

"We will, don't worry, we will," Dallas reassured him, nodding his head.

"And also…" Lee trailed off, his eyes slowly closing as his head lagged to the side.

"Lee? What is it? Lee?" Dallas asked, shaking his shoulder to wake him up.

"I'll miss you, both of you, so much," he whispered, nodding his head once more.

"Us too," Dallas said, wrapping his arms around Lee as Clementine did the same.

"Please, don't go," she whispered, nuzzling her head into his neck.

"Goodbye," he breathed, closing his eyes one last time. Clementine and Dallas stepped away from Lee, both of them standing up together, looking down at Lee's lifeless body.

"You sure you want to do this?" Dallas asked, tears falling down to the dirty ground.

"Yes." She raised the gun up and aimed it at Lee's head, her hand's shaking as she did so. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes mentally preparing herself, as she opened her eyes again placing her finger on the trigger.

"Goodbye Lee," Dallas said, looking away.

"We love you." She pulled the trigger, a gunshot rang out, and it was over. He was gone.

* * *

**There we go folks. The end of my story.**

**There is one chapter to go, but that's just the epilogue, so you'll have that in a couple of minutes ^_^**

**I shall try and give you guys a good long speech in the final chapter, so stay tuned :)**

**Farewell for now my Bookies of Awesomeness :D**


	60. Chapter 60 - No Time Left

Silence. Silence seemed the be one of the many evils in this world that was a constant reminder of how horrible everything was. The world around them was silent, they were silent, everything was just silent, as Dallas and Clementine walked through an open field, out into the countryside. Once they were sure that Lee wouldn't turn, Dallas had taken Clementine by the hand and they left the building together, making their way out of the city as quickly as they could, being sure not to waste any time as they went. After they had escaped the city, they had slowed down to a walk, deciding they might as well take their time, who knows when they would find Carley and Molly. Both of them didn't say a single word as they walked through the tall grass, the grass that brushed against their elbows as they pushed their way through. Clementine still had the gun in her hand, having not left it behind when they were escaping the jewellery store, deciding that it would be useful to have, just in case they came to any trouble. Along with her empty gun, the only other weapon they had between them was Dallas' machete, which was safely back in its sheath on his back, ready to use at a moment's notice. Whether they would need to yet, remained unseen. Looking out across the fields, Dallas could see for miles, not a figure in sight as he scanned the horizon for any sign of life. He really hoped that Molly and Carley made it out of the city alive, made it out to the countryside alive, and were waiting for them to arrive, so that they could continue living. Ever since they left Savannah, Clementine hadn't said a word to Dallas, refusing to meet his gaze the entire time, probably still thinking about what she did to Lee. Why had she insisted on being the one to shoot him? Dallas could've easily done, saving her the pain. So why would she want to? Maybe she needed it, needed to help her grow as a person, grow in maturity, readying herself for the world at large. That's why Lee had told Dallas to stop talking, so that she could take that moment and use it, helping her to push through life. The pair soon came to a break in the fence and stepped through, walking over to nearby log to sit on, resting their feet.

"So, how you doing?" Dallas asked, looking up at the clouds passing overhead, the sunrise lighting them all up.

"Fine, I think," she replied, staring down at the ground, kicking around a couple of bullets.

"You're sure you're okay?" he insisted, moving his gaze down to meet hers.

"Yes. I'm okay. It was horrible, but I'm okay, don't worry," she said, taking a hold of Dallas' hand for comfort. "What are we going to do now? Where will we go?"

"We just have to keep moving, and hopefully, we'll find Molly and Carley soon," he told her, looking over at the nearby hills, some movement catching his eye.

"Are you sure we're going to be able to find them? This place is so big, they could be anywhere," Clementine pointed out, wondering what her guardian was looking at.

"I think they're okay," Dallas said, standing up to get a better look at the horizon. Almost out of his vision, walking along a nearby hill, was a lone figure, just pacing along, not taking notice of their surroundings.

"Walker?" Clementine asked, standing up to be beside Dallas, watching the figure move along.

"I'm not sure." As they were watching the figure, it suddenly stopped in its tracks and turned to face them, walking towards them rather than wherever they were walking before.

"Come on Clem, let's go see who, or what it is," Dallas said, leading the way across the field. As the pair slowly moved forward, the distant figure slowly came into view, more of their features being recognisable. Black combats were the first thing Dallas noticed, stepping across the field towards them, taking each step carefully, as if they were trying to remain inconspicuous. Stretchy black jeans, enough to show off their legs, while still helping them to be a whole lot better at moving around easily. Orange, zip-up hoodie, with a strap across the front, which more than likely meant they had a backpack on their back, containing whatever supplies they may have. If all this wasn't enough to convince Dallas, then the tell-tale ice pick on her hip, the short blonde hair and the blue hair clip finished it all off. When the two finally met up, they stood a couple of metres away from each other, just examining each other.

"Molly?" Clementine asked, looking up at the woman, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Hey," she said, her face covered in blood and dirt.

"Where's Carley?" Dallas asked, looking behind her along the field to find their friend. Molly looked at him, a sad face telling him all he needed to know about where Lee's wife and their friend was.

"We were leaving the city and we got overrun. We must've taken a wrong turn or something, because those things were everywhere. I grabbed her by the arm and started to run, pulling her along so that she didn't get left behind. The only weapon between us was Hilda, so I knew that if we got trapped, there was no way we were going to make it out of there alive. The next thing I knew, we were cornered, no way to escape. I found an opening and ran for it, but Carley noticed too late and she was trapped. I tried to go back and save her, but she told me to go, to save myself. She told me that if Lee was still alive when I found you guys, to tell him she loves and that I need to watch out for you two, that was all she asked. After that, there were too many of them for me to see her. She vanished. I don't know where she went, but there was no way she couldn't have gotten out of there without a miracle. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Dallas and Clementine looked at her in shock, neither of them sure what to say.

"So it's just us three?" Clementine asked, looking up at her older companions.

"I guess so," Dallas replied, looking out to the horizon.

"What do we do now?" Molly questioned, standing beside Dallas to watch the sunrise with him.

"We survive."

* * *

**So here we are guys, the end of a journey, the end of a story. **

**I know this is only my first fanfiction, but I am still happy with the feedback I received, more reviews, favourites and follows then I was expecting from it ^_^  
**

**Hopefully, as I write more and more stories, more and more people will come to join the fold, to become a Bookie of Awesomeness :D**

**I would like to thank **_Tactus501st_ **and **_Rebloxic _**for your kind words and help, you two have been amazing, I love you guys heaps, and I hope you continue to read the rest of my future work. Everyone else that have favourited my story, followed my story or reviewed it, I am also thankful to you, you all motivated me to keep on writing all of my chapters, love you all to pieces :3****  
**

**I'll admit, everything that you read, not all of it was what I was originally planning to, a lot of it changed along the way, and I even added some things in. It didn't end up how I planned at all, but I am very happy with the end result, it turned out a whole lot better than expected ^_^**

**I hope that as I write more, I will also start to improve my writing as well (I can dream), so here's to trying :P**

**Finally, I have already started work on the next story in my TWDG series, titled **_My Safe Haven, _**so expect that to come out very soon, I have a few chapters ready to start posting very soon. **_  
_

**If there are any small things you want me to maybe do for you, some one-shots or something, I'll take them into consideration and get back to you ^_^**

**So yeah, I'm all done for now, woo**

**Any questions you have, or any suggestions or something, PM me please, I love hearing from you guys :)**

**Anyway, farewell my Bookies of Awesomeness, see you in my next story, have a great day/night, no matter where you are :D**


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